The Mantis War
by Devilkidd
Summary: Once, there existed on a great continent, three countries: the Grandall Empire, the Kingdom of Dalkia, and the Halteese Republic. An in depth fiction revolving around the Chronicles of the Sword of Soul Calibur III; though, this fiction begins between the events of Soul Calibur IV and V, beginning in 1605.
1. Act: I: Prelude

This is another tale of souls and swords...

Once, there existed on a great continent, three countries: the Grandall Empire, the Kingdom of Dalkia, and the Halteese Republic. The Kingdom of Dalkia and the Halteese Republic waged a great war against one another for countless years. The Grandall Empire stayed out of the conflict, amassing its armies in silence.

In a time where King Chester, the Great Tactician and instigator of the war which later came to be known as the Mantis War, had not yet appeared in the annals of history.

The key figure in the war was a mere cadet of the Grandall Army.

* * *

><p><strong>Act I<strong>

**Prelude**

* * *

><p>Leaves waltzed about the ground as the howling wind blew them across the silent land. Night had long since fallen and the moon was as ardent as it was full. Its gleam of light had been sparse due to the overcast of clouds this night. These elements along with others had been signs of an early winter. Nevertheless, with that knowledge, it had still been fairly warm and warm enough to not need winter-wear.<p>

As the area was surveyed, everything seemed as if it were still. There were no animals scavenging for food and not a fool to wander with their rum in hand. This silence and stillness bothered her. No matter the night, she knew that someone, somewhere were to be moving about and if all were as silent as it had been then something far worse was soon to reveal itself.

Despite what may reveal itself, massive or lesser in severity, there were those of course who had a duty to defend this still and silent land; a land of hidden treachery and an even more obscure underlying meaning to everything that had even been within this country. This country, built upon hidden corruption was Parousia, ruled by its current emperor, Strife Astlar. He was a young ruler who was no more than seventeen years of age when he ascended to the throne. It was said that he had killed his siblings out of madness and fear.

It was to be expected if you had an open mind about things. Especially when a country were the prize to be rewarded for whoever was chosen to rule. Naturally, as far as she had assumed, he was fed little, treated cruelly and possibly slept with a dagger underneath his pillow. Again, if you had an open mind, you would know that nothing is of pure smiles and merry.

The moon was covered by clouds when she opened her eyes. She had been silent the entire night unless she had been speaking to a small and terribly rare black dove. This dove was a Messenger. Messengers often carried small letters to allies—best used for short distances rather than lengthy trips. Of course, this also depended on the species of bird being used as a Messenger. As this dove sat upon her left shoulder, she had been in a state of meditation until she had opened her eyes and as she came out of this state, a brief thought of her allies came to her mind. She knew of them to either be celebrating or possibly actually taking their positions seriously.

As part of the Border Forces, she, Raisa, a soldier of the Parousian army, was charged with defending the very border of her country from any hostiles. Despite the fact that this was not her country of origin, she had not much a choice in the matter and that she knew. Of course, the situation, their situation, was a delicate and complicated one.

No matter what her intentions were on that night months ago, she had still committed two crimes upon this land she was charged with protecting; despite the fact that she had been charged for three crimes. In fact, the only way for her to truly be released from the slavering jaws of her _"__crime__s"_ were to join the military and since she was just as formidable as some of the sergeants and lieutenants of the army she needed not much training.

For a woman, she had done well when she had sparred against several of the higher ranking officials within the Grandallian Army; better than most of the commanders who had difficulty proving themselves in such sport. One woman that had especially been stricken by the eye of the green monster was Commander Abelia. She was used to bathing within the spotlight and was of good character albeit unable to cope with defeat or being outshined.

When the two of them had sparred, Raisa, wielding her _Wōdāo_, _Sapphire_, proved victorious in combat. The news of Abelia's defeat spread like wildfire and Raisa was quickly becoming a top choice for many of the other commanders to personally request for her to join their unit.

They had all been disappointed when she was assigned to the unit _Gungnir_, who was under the command of one of the recent academy graduates. She, Priya, was a fair and just woman and by Raisa's observations, she had deemed her a good-hearted and level-headed commander. Despite Priya's lack of outright strength and emotional fortitude, Raisa respected her for many other reasons. Priya was not one to live for the limelight as Abelia did and Priya often put herself after others—a trait that Raisa herself, had rarely ever seen—she was also well versed in mythology as well as weaponry.

Aside from those few things, Raisa respected Priya because she was just the individual she would want her commander to be; knowledgeable, generous, and even self-sacrificing if the time called for it. Most of the other commanders were nothing more than glory-seeking bastards who drank themselves to death and ogled nearly any woman or man that passed them by. Yes, there were a good few feminine commanders within the military and some of them have done nothing more than used their body to attain the position they currently had. That alone was one reason why Priya was favored—she acted none like the whores of the military.

No matter though, Raisa was proud of where she was and even more proud of the unit she was assigned to yet, she now turned her head to her left. In this direction, there had been a path which after some time, led to a fork. The reason she had turned her head was due to the fact that she had heard voices emanating from the aforementioned direction.

There were additional military personal stationed about this area and most of them she knew either by face or by voice; Raisa thought it essential if she were to know her allies so that she could differentiate them from her enemies if she were to be protecting anything, especially if it were during a time of visual difficulty.

"…"

_"It is not that of Surina's unit,"_

She thought as she listened to the voices. Raisa could not hear them perfectly, yet, she knew the voices of those who belonged to Surina's unit, _Exodus._ Raisa had also ruled out the possibility of the individuals being that of the squadron _Relic._ The reason she ruled _Relic_ out with such swift thought was due to _Relic_ bearing no male soldiers.

_"...They are entirely different individuals."_

Realizing this and that neither of them were not drunk, she then asked herself a question.

_"Why would travelers be out and around these parts at this time of night?"_

It was common knowledge that Parousia had declared no civilian be about the border when the sun had chosen to sleep. This was to eliminate confusion between ally and enemy and it had been by the military's general for that choice to be made. As she continued to ponder about her next course of action, it was then that her heart had begun to beat faster with excitement.

_"__…t__hieves,__ or rather…Brigands.__"_

She was calm as this realization sunk in. For the most part, she wondered if the opposition would truly be a challenge. Mostly, common Brigands were unorganized and easily dealt with if one were prepared; though to function at night could spell disaster if they used their surroundings to their advantage.

_"I wait for them to grow closer__.__"_

Her plan was slowly formulating as their voices became clearer and as such, she was able to hear them conversing.

"I would have never thought of you to be such a woman Judas."

"I am not a woman,"

The man named Judas protested.

"I've nothing to fear!"

His voice sounded as it had just begun to break. It made him sound as if he had been speaking through his nostrils.

"Hm…"

Raisa then pondered.

_"I do wonder how much 'man' resides within you."_

As she pondered this, she reached for a small strip of parchment. Her eyes were well adjusted to the darkness and in addition to that she could see fairly well in the darkness of the night. Reading the parchment to ensure she was sending the correct one, she then folded it twice and then attached it to a small string.

With her free hand, she turned her palm skyward and the small dove flew into her palm. This dove was a fairly intelligent creature. As it landed in her palm, it instantly lifted a foot and allowed her to slip the string around its ankle. After that, the dove reached its head down and took a piece of the string in its beak and pulled it tight to its ankle. After kissing the dove upon its head, Raisa raised her arm and the black dove flew.

"Nothing is to be feared while here in this wilderness of this hellish country."

The dove chirped only once, which alerted Judas.

"What was that?"

Immediately, Raisa ceased her movements and paid attention to his drastic change in tone.

_"Is that…fear?"_

She thought to herself.

"Did you hear that?"

_"Apparently Judas has a decent sense of hearing."_

With this knowledge, Raisa knew that even though his fear was beginning to show, his ears could be a significant threat if he used them to his advantage. Turning her green eyes to the sky, she winced none as the moon was drawn before her eyes and it was with the unsheathed moon that she saw the black dove flying off towards Priya's location.

"Judas, cease your fearless cowardice."

_"Well, in the time that is present, why not force you to truly show your cowardice Judas?"_

As this crossed her mind, Raisa would then devote her time to scaring him to the point where his comrade could not rely on him to do anything whatsoever. All the while, if she did things correctly, she would draw the two to her and confront them then. Before she did this, she realized that the dove should have made it to Priya by now.

Watching the moon as it was swiftly abducted before her eyes by clouds of a menacing obscurity; she then looked to the land below her current position and heaved a light sigh. As she had predicted, something far worse was bound to happen…

Half an hour had passed since the black dove had taken flight and by the dove's delay, Raisa knew that Priya had gotten the message. However, at the current moment, Raisa had been silently laughing to herself and she thought it to be hilarious to continue her antics. Gripping the sheath of her weapon, she waited and listened to what was being said by the two individuals.

"I-I'm serious, do you not hear that?"

"Judas,"

The man began.

"Shut your mouth!"

"B-but, how can I relax when something is out there?"

At the sound of a small knocking, Judas jumped and did the best he could to keep a shrill shriek to himself, however, a part of it escaped before his mouth was covered.

"Shut, up."

Raisa could not hear anything that was being said from Judas due to the fact that his mouth was covered. Although she could not hear him, she did not care. She herself had been silently laughing at his actions; however, her laughter would soon be ended by her own enthrallment.

"If you keep being loud, he'll come down here release you himself!"

_"Expended?"_

She thought to herself.

_"He will __die__ for being afraid?"_

Correcting herself so that she could think clearly, she moved just a little closer so that she could continue to listen in on the conversation that she had been eavesdropping on for the duration of half an hour.

"Yes, yes, it is true but we must act promptly if we are to execute his plans accordingly."

The second male protested.

"Judas, I order you to silence yourself."

"B-but…"

"Orders are very well orders Judas,"

The second male taunted.

"Now shut up already!"

_"__A__ third?__ I'll kill him to.__"_

After she stood, Raisa made her way onto the beaten path so that it would seem as if she had been traveling during the night.

"Fear nothing, for we are laying down the path which shall change history!"

_"__A__rrogan__ce…__" _

She pointed out to herself.

_"Arrogance is never held with form o__r__ spine to stand on its own." _

As the men, a group of three slowly approached, Raisa thought of a plan of attack.

_"Arrogance is the head of this mass,__ h__e will send his legions to dispose of me…" _

She paused as she checked to see if her dove had returned yet. Alas it had not.

"Judas, staggering are messages of the weak!"

"Y-yes Sir!"

"What is that light up ahead?"

A silent sigh was heaved as Raisa's combative mindset slowly began to ascend from its dream-like state.

Her mind temporarily fell silent as the reflection of what appeared to be armor emerged from behind the sloping hill which was in-between her eight and nine. Her plan set in her mind, Raisa had turned away, so that her back would be facing them.

"We should be where the sounds originated Sir."

She knew by her ears that they were less than fifteen yards from her. With this knowledge, her immediate knowledge and care of anything other than the situation at hand ceased to exist as her _soul_ was clenched even tighter within her grasp.

It already appeared as if she were heading in the opposing direction. Though to make it fool-proof, she advanced a few steps from her post with her weapon at the ready. Her _Wōdāo_ was cleverly held in a fashion which was close to her body. With the darkness and the way she had planned to stand, her weapon would be out of sight to them.

"Sir!"

As the second male spotted Raisa, she did not move any further away from them, instead she adjusted herself and held her _Wōdāo_ even closer to her side and made sure she stood sideways to them. The only way they would know she had a weapon about her would be the revolver strapped to her right thigh. The only way they would know beforehand that she was armed to the teeth would be if another of their number had emerged from her left. Yet as she thought of the revolver, which would be facing them, Raisa quickly adjusted the holster and garter and turned it inward towards her inner thigh.

"Halt,"

The arrogant male commanded her.

"What say you be?"

"A wench of some sort,"

The male who spotted Raisa interjected before adding on to that.

"Maybe we can have some fun with her?"

Raisa lightly growled at the fact that she was seen as a helpless sex object. She believed that it had only been the three of them and by estimating the way they each walked, none of them were at her caliber. Watching the three males draw nearer, what she believed was the head of the three stepped in front of them.

"Wench,"

As this word entered her ears, Raisa gnashed her teeth as the arrogant male followed the words of his subordinate.

"Where is it for which we may,"

He paused and snickered to his men as he turned to them and as he turned to face Raisa he continued.

"Find a suitable place other than this wilderness?"

Raisa said nothing. The men looked at each other with confused looks before he addressed her again.

"Wench,"

Her grip around the sheath of _Sapphire_ intensified as the word penetrated her once more.

"I demand an answer of you and if you refuse, we shall find it within you ourselves."

_"You __want__ to twist me as you so see fit?"_

As she stared at the three, her green eyes narrowed. The silent wind gently blew across the valley, as if it were death passing ever so stealthily across the border.

"She must be deaf."

The puberty-struck male muttered.

"If she were deaf she would not have stopped you fool!"

Raisa silently laughed as the arrogant male yelled at his subordinate. After he had yelled, he turned to face her once more, he slowly began to advance.

"Even if she is deaf, I bet she can move just like all the rest."

"Wench, you are beginning to anger me,"

His eyes fell from her face and pass her overlapping belts which seemed to hold daggers at her waist and down to her legs. Even though the bottoms she wore were baggy, he still knew of her to be ripe.

"…And you do not want to see me angry."

One of the three males, being Judas looked to the sky as the moon was covered by clouds, and as she observed them; she noticed that Judas seemed terrified as the only true source of light had been blocked out.

"You think of me to jest with you wench?"

The arrogant male inquired.

_"Their armor resembles that of our own army." _

She realized this just before the moon had been concealed.

_"This is a setup..." _

She heard the second male approaching her.

_"It may be wrong; __bu__t, they are impersonating soldiers which result__s__ in them dying anyway."_

"She must be struck with fear."

The second male added onto his ally's initial verbal thought of Raisa being deaf. As she thought of it, so far, the puberty-stricken male was the only one out of the three which did not insult her; therefore she would in fact truly save him as the last kill.

The visibility had now been little to none; however, the rush-light which rested a short distance away from them, which was the original safe-house that Priya had assigned her to, gave them some form of light, although it had been little.

She had been waiting for them to get close enough. Little did they know the moon was their greatest ally for the moon revealed her weaponry; however, now that the moon had been obscured, they knew of her to carry at the most, daggers which rested within their sheaths at her waist.

"I don't think we should be-"

"How many times are you going to attempt to change the course of what we do?"

"Silence!"

_"Just what I've been waiting for…"_

"Since she is, as you have said, struck with fear, then we shall help her quell a bit of that fear."

"… Death is only thing that will become of pestering me…"

Her grip slightly tightened around her sheath while her right hand, did nothing more than produce cracking sounds as she forced her bones to do so, this caused one of the three males to flinch.

"Even if it be you must be hunted down, one by one…I will break each and every one of you."

Following her second threat, the male who had been leading them laughed at her threats.

"What makes you, a woman capable of killing men?"

The first male was arrogant, that and he obviously saw himself as above the opposing gender.

"The only thing it is that you are truly good for, is selling yourself or lying down for us all, so please, do yourself a favor a—"

He was cut off by the sound of gunfire.

Staring at who she assumed to be their commanding figure's corpse, the second male was silent while his mouth had fallen agape.

"Oops…"

She began before smirking.

"As I said,"

Raisa paused as she holstered _Vindicate_.

"I've not time and patience with pompous, sexually struggling, children."

The second male, horrified, stared at her with rage in his eyes as he tried to find words, however, none were found.

"It is often said that the eye of the beholder is the beholder that will bring death."

Lifting her arm, she turned a balled fist to the two men who were standing before her.

"As the Beholder, I grant you death, which I hold in my very hand."

Before she could draw her second revolver, _Heartless_, Judas shrieked in that high-pitched progression of puberty and immediately after that, he turned and ran while the second male stood his ground.

"Judas, come back here this instant!"

The second male shouted, however, Judas, the male who shrieked, continued to run on.

"That leaves you to die alone…"

After she spoke those words, the male yelled some form of obscenity and then charged at Raisa. A smirk kissing her full lips, she quickly holstered _Heartless_ and then with her opposing thumb, she lightly pushed _Sapphire_ from its sheath and then placed one foot in front of the other.

"Come,"

She invited as he continued to charge.

"…And die!"

As he took a wild, large swing with his short sword, Raisa easily swayed underneath his attack and without blinking, drew _Sapphire_ and cut through her charging opponent without changing her footing.

"…"

"… augh,"

As he groaned, his sword and shield had dropped to the earth below, the second male slowly turned around and stared at Raisa. His staggering posture easily had shown the pain he had just been inflicted.

"… H-how…?"

As the moon, free from its captors, bathed the land beneath it within its silver gleam, he was able to see that the sword that was in her grasp was that of another country. He was also able to see her revolvers. She had fooled him. Yet he had realized this far too late.

"Simple really,"

She answered as she stood erect and rid her blade of blood by swinging it.

"You do not know the way of the sword, nor do you know how to defend yourself,"

As she slowly began to sheath _Sapphire_, the dying male gagged only to spew blood from his mouth.

"That; and you are failure as not only a human but the proud production between man and beast… if nothing else,"

From the large gash which slowly festered as did the cracks through his armor of vermilion, his blood had begun to retreat from him as if he were the plague while _Sapphire_ slowly slid even further into its sheath.

"…You are a mistake and a sad excuse of a warrior…"

Sliding _Sapphire_ completely into its sheath, Raisa's second opponent, with his last breath, fell to the bloodied dirt which he once stood upon, dead.

"Such a simple task,"

She began as she withdrew the revolver _Vindicate__, _which she used earlier.

"It is almost insulting that a pathetic cretin was the price for you to be used."

As she recalled the male who ran, she thought it to be fun in order to hunt him down and see how he fought. After all, she was a soldier now, so why not exercise her right to kill her enemy?

Traveling down the path that the man fled, Raisa reached into a small leather pouch and withdrew a small metallic tube with her right hand. This tube, held gunpowder within it. It was the very source of her revolvers _Vindicate_ and _Heartless_.

These two revolvers were what replaced the use of a sub melee weapons which other members of her unit carried however, she still carried them yet, Raisa rarely used her daggers.

_"That reminds me,"_

She thought to herself as she knelt down and placed _Sapphire_ on the ground while she reloaded _Vindicate_.

_"Priya spoke to Surina about a sword."_

As this random thought passed through her mind, she recalled never seeing this sword at all whatsoever.

_"It must be hidden weapon then__.__E__ither that or..."_

Raisa halted as she heard footsteps echoing in the distance.

_"...She must speak of a weapon that was lost or that has yet to be received."_

Concealing the tube within the leather pouch at her right side, Raisa stood and continued to slowly move on while holding _Vindicate_ in her left hand, while her right, she held a sheathed _Sapphire_.

A few moments had gone by and as she approached the fork in the path, she slowed her pace to think of which way to go. As she recalled, one path led to nothing while another led to the opposing side of the valley in which they had been guarding. As she thought of the possibilities, she eventually came to the conclusion that the stronghold of the Brigands was for which lied at the opposing end of the valley.

"There is only one way to find out isn't it?"

With these words, Raisa decided to follow the path which would bring her to the very edge of the country of Parousia. Her mind held not a drop of the poison known as fear as she progressed within the night as others who are false to their beloved 'toys' fear their opposition.

Raisa knew no such thing as fear for fear is nothing more than allowing yourself to be defeated by whatever or whoever you view as being above you. Her life was thus far was one where she could show no fear. Not only that, but her own mother, killed by those of the cloth showed not a touch of fear as death slowly devoured her being in the form of flames. It was also her mother who taught her to never show fear nor ever show that she were willing to accept defeat.

_"Life knows nothing more than my existence,"_

Holding this within her mind, she knew it was the truth for if the world knew of her might, they would revere her as a Goddess of War.

_"My blade is my soul, I shall live by the sword even in death for the death of my sword,"_

Raisa's grip around a sheathed _Sapphire_ intensified as she progressed through the night.

_"…Is the very death of my soul itself. It is for this reason, this union of soul and sword, for why I will forever Live by the Sword."_

Moments had passed after she recited that to herself. Raisa continued on and after nothing more than listening to the wind and leaves crumpling as they touched the ground; Raisa's mind had placed her motivation to the rear as an odd structure slowly crept into her view.

As she slowed her pace, she looked to the tree line which had been to her right and saw that as her cover. Deviating from the beaten path, Raisa concealed herself within nature and slowly continued on towards the structure. It wasn't long before she had come across additional opposition.

"Let us make haste Gabriel, we musn't be absent from our post."

"Following I am, you needn't worry of me Curien."

_"…More of them."_

As she told herself this, she thought of ambushing them, however, she then realized that it was better to follow them and then destroy whatever base they were heading to.

_"Ease it must be for such height of this to be crafted."_

She thought to herself as she listened to her surroundings.

_"Either way if it were of ease, it makes little sense for such a construct to be crafted within our limits and for not one to even notice."_

It was true, before the two units had been deployed to this area as well as the squadron, there had been two other units which were reported missing after three days of searching for them.

_"Perhaps these __B__rigands are the reason behind their disappearance."_

As this thought settled into her mind, she realized that there could be several other reasons as to why the units before them had disappeared. Though those reasons were insignificant at the moment; silencing her mind, Raisa continued to silently stalk her enemies through the vegetation.

"It's been a bit of time since we've heard from Brecca, don't you think?"

"Aye,"

Curien began.

"Still, we've a position to guard."

As the first man stood, he stretched and then looked down to his comrade.

"Do you think Grandall have learned of us Gabriel?"

"Unlikely it is."

Curien answered.

"These fools are nothing more than silent peasants who have been infiltrated."

Watching his comrade approach the stairway, he implored him that animals had been out during the course of the night.

"It doesn't matter me much, I am a hunter after all."

"You know this land differs from any normal animal attack."

"As I said, I am a hunter, and what I hunt is what keeps men like you lying in bed awake as scared as your wives are."

"Hmph,"

Turning his head away from him he continued.

"Then go and die fool."

"Gladly..."

With that word, Gabriel proceeded down the steps of the insignificant stronghold.

"…That fool is going to get himself killed one of these days."

_"This is too long for me to wander,"_

She thought.

_"If I wait, more than likely, someone will come down, perhaps I should cause some form of racket."_

Thinking that the latter was the better of her ideas, Raisa ceased her movement and then lifted _Sapphire_. It worked once before and in the manner they were acting, word of what had happened with the previous trio had yet to reach them.

_"This should frighten them and if not, it should prove to get attention."_

Curien was contemplating whether or not he should seek out his comrade, however; he eventually chose not to for the man's pride was enough to keep him outside of the tower for another two hours.

"When he is scared enough he will come running back."

He convinced himself.

A single high-pitched noise broke the calm demeanor he had. A result of this broken demeanor was for him to jump from his chair, and instinctively place a hand upon his rapier.

"He who be foolish, reveal yourself!"

Although he commanded this, nothing was heard.

"Gabriel?"

He then called to his comrade, however; he still heard nothing. Curien knew he had not been hearing things for the night was far too silent for that to occur.

A loud knocking sound had now begun to make him even more nervous.

His grip increasing upon the cruciform hilt of his rapier, Curien decided to venture forth and down the stairwell with caution. Gabriel had not answered his calling, not only that, but it had bothered him that Gabriel had not made a sound when he had left the tower itself.

Slowly descending down into the darkness of the stairwell, Curien noticed that the torches which had once illuminated this area of the tower had all been put out.

Thump.

The sound had changed. Without thinking, Curien drew his rapier and slowly continued downward.

Thump.

Whatever had been causing this noise was heavy. That he knew. Growing even closer to the source of the sound, Curien called forth to Gabriel once more, however; he still heard nothing.

Thump.

Descending even further, Curien had begun to sweat. He knew this was something that would be vicious, even so, he continued on.

Curien gulped as he hugged the wall which was opposite of the source of the sounds and to his fright, he ogled the body of his comrade, Gabriel.

"Gabriel!"

His yell was loud and hearty; he rushed down to Gabriel's body only to cut it down. To digress, as Gabriel was hung by the neck, he was already dead. Holding his bloody body in his arms, Curien heard yet another sound, this time, he looked upwards slowly and his eyes grew wider as he realized who was before him.

"R—Raisa…"

"Curien…"

"Y—You are stationed out here?"

"That I am."

Looking to the man she had just killed, using his own whip to hang him, she then looked back to Curien.

"So, you allied yourself with the thieves now have you?"

She now asked.

"…"

"Hm, and your loyalty seems to be to them as well."

"…"

Against her better judgment, she did feel a little remorse for what she had done. As she recalled, Gabriel was like a brother to Curien while to her, Curien was somewhat a brother as he had appointed himself. Curien was older than Raisa by a number of years.

His face held hair which lazily slept upon his face and his eyes revealed his mid-life age. His armor was that of vermilion and so was the armor of Gabriel.

"I will let you live if you leave now,"

She began as she lifelessly watched Curien cradle Gabriel.

"Yet if you choose to stay, I will have not a choice for I cannot guarantee your survival if you do choose to stay here."

"…"

"If you choose to stay, then your grave shall be the abysmal flame..."

Not another word was said from her as she turned away from him. She knew that she had wounded his spirit as well as his judgment, yet, Curien was no fool. More than likely he would leave and allow himself to be thought of as dead, yet, it was up to him how he would choose his fate.

"You… look like you're having the worst day to life yet, Gabriel…"

He sheepishly spoke as his voice began to break.

"The death in your eyes… as fresh as that of the blackest of roses…"

Lifting Gabriel's head to his lips, Curien kissed his forehead and then slightly lowered him.

"All of the sun, which had once lighted me with pure warmth, has now left be a terrible winter might which threatens my very survival."

Gripping his limp hand with his own, his left eye began to tear.

"Your haunting face shall forever linger as I continue to live on and as your shivering ways haunt my mind, I know of your tips to once bear warmth."

Curien's grey eyes took in the illumination which had begun to slowly spread from the bottom of the stairwell. Raisa had started a fire. Knowing her, the fire will be more than enough to devour this insignificant tower and everything in it.

Looking back down to the deceased Gabriel, Curien's fingers ran across his face.

"You are now forever lost to the Blind World of despair and there, shall be not one who shall ever care… for in the Blind World, there is not such a thing as care."

Listening to the flames fester as if they were guided to him by Death, Curien carefully situated Gabriel on the steps so that he would not tumble down. Standing on his own, he watched the flames as they revealed themselves to his grey eyes.

"You have been faded from this world, and now you are alone, existence it is which I must use to atone for the mistake of drawing you into this very scheme of mine… for it is neither part of this world you remain… no, not here…"

Slowly ascending the stairwell, Curien did not take his eyes off Gabriel as the flames of death began to caress his body in an embrace that only the damned would enjoy.

"… Beyond all that is good you have passed and since now you have passed, you have faded beyond all that can repair. May God be merciful to your soul."

Leaving the tower behind her, Raisa held a mind full of thoughts; however, those thoughts were placed on hold until this night's shift had concluded. His speech, she had heard and for his words to be heard, it meant that the two of them were paid in order to defy if not sabotage Parousia.

Additionally, she knew of them both to be that of a God in worship while Raisa herself, was faithless. Raisa believed that there was not such a thing as One Savior for this torment the world is in proves that there is no such thing as peace or the Celestial World or even a Paradise.

_"These thoughts are thoughts of a dead woman,"_

She told herself.

_"I shouldn't think of these as I live for these thoughts should prove to lead me to my grave."_

Shouldering the rifle, which she had taken from Gabriel, she continued down the path towards her true destination.

As time had passed, Raisa had continued down the path, she knew that she was nearly at the end of the valley. When that end came, she should be at the stronghold of these so-called warriors.

_"Life it is I hope you chose Curien."_

Her mind was slightly distracted by the fact that her acquaintance had chosen a dark path to follow.

_"If it were not for you then…"_

Her voice trailed as she held _Sapphire_ before her eyes.

_"…I musn't become distracted…"_

Forcing her arm back down to her side, Raisa pressed on. To her luck, and to her estimated guess, she had been correct. Looming not too far in the distance had been a light which she could see.

There was no mistaking that this light was that of a torch and as she progressed, she could hear at least five men talking and carrying on in their business. This was the perfect time to catch them off guard. Drawing _Vindicate_ from its holster, Raisa slowed her pace and then slowly eased her way down into a crouching position so that she would not be seen. After a few steps she had then slumped down to the ground with her heels skyward.

Slowly crawling on her stomach, Raisa slowly made her way across the grass which, due to her jacket's dark red color; she would be hidden against most of the eyes which may look to her position. What had also given her an advantage in camouflage had been the fact that the moon was yet again, covered by clouds.

Reaching the peak of the hill, Raisa leered over the small hill; she could see that there had been nine soldiers guarding what appeared to be a stronghold. Raisa's guess was dead right it would appear.

"Has Gabriel made contact yet?"

Observing the complex, Raisa noticed that it had been fortified. Additionally, there had been a flag which jutted forth from the complex as if it were the horns of a beast. This flag, orange in base color bore a black insignia and slowly danced with the wind as their passionate lovemaking was that as a tongued kiss to the skin.

"Not at all,"

The second soldier answered.

"Should we send a scout?"

_"They may be a challenge, but if I think this through before I barge in, then there will be not much to worry of."_

"No, three to be sure that the job is done,"

Looking around, he then opened his mouth and prepared to speak.

"Uriel, Brecken, Sara… you three go on and ensure that Gabriel and Curien are still alive."

"Ay, we shan't be long."

"Yes Sir!"

The woman, Sara said not a word; she merely stood and shouldered her rifle.

_"She holds nothing more than a rifle and at best, a dagger."_

Watching the two men tail her, she saw that they both carried short swords and shields. What shocked her was that they all wore armor which was that of vermilion.

_"This is indeed quite the plot."_

Flattening herself onto the hill she was on, she watched the three walk past her and thought of shooting one of them; however, as she prepared to aim, Sara immediately turned in her direction, which forced Raisa to quickly holster _Vindicate_ and lay on the hill in motionless silence.

"Sara, come on,"

Uriel commanded as he and Brecken both passed her by.

"We can't leave you behind."

Listening to his words, Sara followed without a word.

_"Well, Sara has senses. That is without question a threat… even so; her judgment was delayed due to Uriel's words."_

Looking forth to the remaining impersonators, Raisa slowly fell into thought.

_"Eliminating the three would be a simple task, yet, Sara may make that task difficult."_

"H—Hey, I got it up!"

As one male said that, others crowded around him and began to cheer. He had been balancing a sword in the palm of his hand by its hilt. Her green eyes watching this, she counted and reached a total of six enemies.

_"They are novices…"_

Watching the sword fall and the other males began to boo and demand a re-try, as he took up the sword once more; Raisa had decided that she would not use her revolvers to fire, but only to injure. That is unless she were given no choice that is…

_"This approach will be swift…"_

"Damn it, Darren stop screwing around!"

At the sound of his voice, Darren squealed and dropped his sword.

"You needn't play games while out here, for the Border Forces are not to be taken lightly!"

"What makes you say that?"

The male name Darren inquired.

"What makes me say that is due to our scouts,"

_"So…they have investigated the country long before this night?"_

Raisa lifted her head in slight amazement.

_"The worst is yet to come of this conflict…"_

"Scouts…?"

Darren repeated.

_"Clearly he is not well versed with his unit__'__s plan." _

Raisa thought.

_"Yet, this could mean that those who impersonat__e__ could also be joining them without much knowledge of what is to come or what has been laid as brick to the castle…"_

"Yes, our scouts have seen and even observed who has been assigned here this very night and it is best not to attract the attention of either the units stationed."

"Who's the main threat we have to be worried about?"

Darren now asked.

_"Obvious isn't it…?"_

Raisa thought to herself.

"The unit _Relic_, its Commanding Officer, Annebella has been a soldier for over seven years and has proven her strength by being the sole survivor of Halteese's small ambush on her unit."

"…so?"

"So?"

The leader of the group repeated.

"She killed the entire platoon of forty men alone."

This knowledge was something that Raisa did not even know. She along with the other males were in silent awe.

"She is stationed on the opposite side of this valley and she is a severe threat."

"Who else is out here that we need to be wary of?"

Another male asked. Raisa studied him. He had a revolver about his right leg and a knife about his left. A broadsword was sheathed at his waist and he hadn't a helm.

"The daughters of Sergio Delgado…"

With that said the males all stopped moving.

"…Yes, they are both here and command separate units _Gungnir_ and _Exodus_ along with a soldier who goes by the name of Raisa,"

_"Heh…you know it to be the truth now don't you?"_

Her pride had begun to swell as she continued to listen in.

"Raisa has bested nearly half the commanders which this country carries and she also is a bladesmith, a gunsmith, and is fluent with several weapons foreign to this land. Along with her is Ky, who is also of the unit _Gungnir_,"

He paused as he cleared his throat.

"He may not be much but his strategies are what will elude and dispatch you. He dances about the blade and strikes when it has nothing in reserves."

"How are we to compete with the blood relatives of Sergio Delgado?"

Darren protested.

"Listen—"

"Darren has a point sir,"

Another male chimed in cutting the leader of the group off.

"He was a powerful man and a great commander in his time, and he knew not defeat. It was only old age which had killed him and now you bring us out here with his daughters?"

Before the man could speak, there was a rustling noise in the brush behind two of the males. Taking up their arms, the only male with a firearm, slowly approached with his ranged weapon in hand.

"It's just the wind, relax."

A male near the doors of this stronghold had pointed out. However, he was wrong. As the male with the revolver turned away, he was impaled through his chest. A wet gargling sound he made as blood began to drain from his mouth and as he flailed about, Raisa extracted _Sapphire_ and then kicked the helm-less male to the ground.

"Jerich!"

One of the males cried.

"Don't worry,"

She began as a small smile began to form upon her face as she sheathed a bloody _Sapphire_.

"…It is fatal…"

The leader of the group quickly drew his cutlass and charged her while the other four males charged her as well.

"You'll pay for what you've done!"

Darren shouted as he was the first to reach her. Evading his swing, Raisa pulled the end of her tsuka and from it, a chain had extended. Quickly getting behind Darren, he instinctively spun around and attempted to impale her, yet Raisa eluded his attack and was again behind him. He again turned and attacked yet this time; Raisa used the chain and instantly caught his sword arm.

As she then twisted her arm, she quickly spun around Darren once more and had successfully ensnared Darren within a choking embrace. Kicking the back of his thigh, Raisa had forced him down onto his knees.

"Darren!"

A male called. As the advancing men ceased their advance, they each randomly took a small amount of distance for fear of accidentally harming their captive ally. As his choking breaths desperately attempted to grasp life, Raisa decreased his ability to breath by placing a foot firmly to Darren's back.

"…I don't lie down with dogs, in order to rise with your diseases…"

With that said in a chilling tone, Raisa chose not to hear any more of this flea's pleas. Her grip intensifying upon her tsuka, Raisa followed up by jerking and then twisting her _Shéng Biāo_–ultimately snapping Darren's neck.

Spinning around, she then released her _Shéng Biāo_, freeing the corpse and as this was done, Darren's body fell to the ground—dead. Raisa quickly took her form in the stance of her primary combat style and her eyes were transfixed as if her glare were a demon's thirst for her next victims.

"For Maletta!"

_"Maletta__…__?" _

Lost within her mind, she came back to reality when the second soldier charged for her. Raising her sheath, Raisa used this as a defensive mechanism which, by parrying the short sword her current opponent used, she quickly dodged the attack their leader.

After evading his attack, Raisa evaded another attack by leaping in the air and flipping over the charging blade. Easily seeing an opening, she caught the male's neck with the _Shéng Biāo_ and ensnared him. Not taking the chance of them stalling again though, Raisa drew one of her daggers and quickly impaled his skull.

Tearing the dagger away from him and paying little attention to his bloody blue eyes falling from his skull, she sheathed her dagger and then drew _Sapphire_ and as the next male ran to her with a rapier, his thrust was met by her sheath. Easily, the rapier slid into the sheath of the _Wōdāo_ and with his only weapon incapable of being used, she head-butted him which made him stagger backwards and then impaled the ground with _Sapphire_. Dodging yet another strike from the leader, Raisa tore the wedged rapier from her sheath and delivered two quick slashes to him and in his breached defense; the first slash forced him to drop to his knees after both his thighs were deeply cut and the final slash was clean through his throat.

"Damn you, woman!"

Recovering from his stagger he attempted to take her _Wōdāo_ in hand, however; Raisa would not accept anyone laying their hands upon her weapon.

"Amir!"

The final male called but it was too late. After the shot rang out, blood had splattered against her last opponent's face just before Amir's corpse fell to the ground. Raisa had taken _Vindicate_ to arms and shot Amir through his right eye. The last of her current opposition stood and stared at the male known as Amir and said nothing. He shook. A cold sweat had washed over him and Raisa could clearly see the sweat pouring from his face as if he had just emerge from a river after bathing.

He was absolutely terrified. Holstering her firearm, she calmly walked over and took up her beloved Wōdāo and as she did she quickly ducked and then thrust her Wōdāo skyward. The sound of Damascus cutting through weak metal pierced the air and shortly after, the axe which he held dropped to the blood sullied ground beneath her. Jerking her weapon as it lie wedged within his chest he gagged and regurgitated blood over Raisa's velvet jacket as well as the left side of her face.

"You're too slow…"

She smoothly stated as his right arm lifelessly rested on her left thigh. His left arm had hung over her right shoulder and was covered in his own blood.

"Your speed is impressive for such weaponry; but you need more to kill me…"

Pulling herself away from him and slowly withdrawing a bloody _Sapphire_ from the male's chest, she said nothing as he stood for a few seconds before he fell unto his knees. Blood gushing from the hole within his armored chest, he looked to the moon as blood also began to pour from his nose.

"Beautiful thing it is, is it not?"

She inquired as she flung blood from her blade and then sheathed it.

"…S—So…fast…"

He muttered as he looked to his killer. As he looked to her, he saw that she had two wheel lock forms of revolvers at each of her thighs and also two daggers which were in sheaths at her waist. Also, she had that sword which she had impaled him with. Aside from her arsenal, he looked to her face—she was beautiful in appearance. Her red hair, only long enough to rest upon her shoulders gently blew with the wind as she watched the moon. Looking to her wheel locking ranged weapons, he then looked at her feet and noticed her attire had been foreign.

"Japanese...?"

He thought as they were what appeared to be shin guards and sandals. Although they were covered in blood, her feet looked as if she took great care of them.

"I have learned from my mother,"

She stated as she wiped blood from her brow. Before she said anything else, Raisa untied the headband which coursed her forehead.

"I have years upon you when it comes to training."

As she said this, Raisa opened her jacket and then she placed the headband which once coursed her forehead into her inner jacket pocket.

"Perhaps if there is another life, you will be victorious in our battle. You never know, but here and now, that is not case."

His vision began to blur as he looked down to this pool he had knelt within. He was able to see his own reflection. A sad thing it is to watch yourself slowly die while you are incapable of doing anything about it.

"Under different circumstances, you could have learned much, but that cannot be…for that I do apologize."

He looked up as she said the last five words. Alas, all he could do was smirk before he fell forward and after making a small splash, he moved none. She did not blink as more blood splattered onto clothing and even when a few droplets crashed against her face, she blinked not once. Raisa, young in years as she was had already been used to the sight of blood just as she was used to the art of combat.

The only thing new about this was that she was fighting for another's purpose and cause—even though she did not want any part of it. Heaving a sigh, Raisa got to her feet and looked over her six slain enemies and recalled one of them screaming something about Maletta.

"If that hesitation were stronger…"

She trailed in speech as she realized that her hesitation was that of a novice. In addition to this, she gnashed her teeth.

Hearing creaking, which emanated from her clock of three, Raisa looked onward and saw the helm-less male she had attacked first lazily leaning against the wooden door to the stronghold which he had been defending with his slain allies. Seeing that he was clearly unarmed and that blood had been gushing from his back, she slowly approached him and when she was less than three feet from him, she stopped and stared at him.

Her shadow against the stronghold is what made him turn to face her. As she stared into his eyes, she could see fear and as he stared into hers, the flickering rush-light above them both were reflected in her green eyes. To him, it seemed as if this was his own personal omen of death for within her eyes were Hell itself. As he slowly shook, Raisa decided to ask the dying male a question.

"Fear bites you as if you were already dead… why do you stand in place?"

"I-I-I…"

"Hm, well, it seems you have an issue with speaking."

Smirking once more, she then told him of his fate.

"I shall help you speak…"

Taking steps away from him, the man still tried to speak yet, Raisa was already preparing for her method of attack.

"No, please d—augh!"

The sound of steel piercing bone filled her ears and she shoved _Sapphire_ deep into his chest for the second time. This time, she drove her Wōdāo until her tsuka was the only thing she was capable of seeing. His warm blood bathed her bare hands and her jacket as he had attempted to reach out for something—what that something was she had not a clue yet, his arm was now slung over her shoulder and her breasts pressed against his penetrated armor.

"…Oh, wait,"

Raisa then placed a bloody index finger to her nether lip which left an imprint of blood upon it.

"Were you trying to say something?"

She jokingly asked as she performed the same jerking maneuver as she did with the other male on Jerich.

"R—Raik…"

He looked into her eyes; he realized that this was not Raiko but Raisa. As he recalled, Raiko's eyes held a playfulness that any male could see and most males were tempted by the lustful gaze she would give yet, she, this woman before him held the eyes of a begotten child. She cared not for joy or anything, she only cared for one thing; and that thing was death.

"I am Raisa,"

She began.

"I rarely drink and when I do, I never become drunk. You are of course, one of the unfortunate ones who have mistaken us…and I grow weary of you who do this for I am no whore."

He had attempted to speak but the pain in his chest was too great for him to mutter such an easy task. She had stepped to his side and with one hand, Raisa tore _Sapphire_ from his chest and instantly he fell to his knees. The male looked to the sky as blood poured from his mouth. It had now truly dawned on him that he was dying and a visual factor that aided him in this realization had been that the moon was yet again covered by the clouds as he tried to look at it. Raisa had turned away as he fell forward and splashed his blood about the dirt ground.

"Never speak of us within the same sentence…"

Standing completely erect, she swung _Sapphire_ towards her right and by doing this; she flung his blood from _Sapphire_ and then sheathed it. Ignoring the blood, which had stained the door of this small but impressive stronghold, she now looked to the complex that was in front of her.

"…So,"

She began after her silence.

"This is where the rats are held?"

She expected no answer for she already knew the answer to this question.

"You think there would be more children prancing with blades that whores can even use."

Cracking the bones within her right fist by balling it, Raisa allowed herself to drift off into thought.

_"Even if lacking, training would give __structure __and__ allow them to be challeng__ing__…or more threatening than falling out the bed within mid hours of night."_

As she approached the stronghold of the Brigands, she looked at the magnificent work that was constructed upon the country's border and then turned her green eyes to a single torch which hung next to the door of the stronghold. Reaching for and eventually taking hold of the rush-light, Raisa lifted the light source by its stalk and then tossed the light source to the ground before the stronghold.

As it slowly burned, Raisa then drove her right hand into her leather pouch and withdrew gunpowder. Crossing her body with her right arm, a lifeless smirk shattered her straight face as she released the black powder unto the flame.

_"A star it burns as it can be, yet, as it is that for which is of the Devil's name."_

Instantly igniting, Raisa turned and began to walk away; however, she ceased her movements and placed her right hand on the tsuka of her _Wōdāo_. She had been feeling this presence the entire night and now, it was even closer than it was earlier.

As she could tell, there had been more than one enemy which had been lurking within the shadows and now that the Brigand's last stronghold cried in breaking wood from the strength of the fire's bite, she knew that if either of them were to move, that she would be able to see them as if it were within the middle of the morning.

Of course, that depended on their armor, for if they wandered too close, the fire behind her would reveal their position due to the reflections within her enemies' armor and if they lacked mail of all kinds, then they could possibly pass her by or ambush her.

"...My work is never done… now is it?"

* * *

><p><strong>Prelude<strong>** End**

_End Notes:_

Raisa has an assortment of weaponry which are both visible and also hidden. She believes in being not only professional but also prepared. Raisa's current weapons on hand in this chapter are as listed:

_Sapphire_: A keepsake weapon which was given to her by her mother. This _Wōdāo_ is fairly considerable in weight and has taken years of getting used to. This weapon is made of Damascus steel and is a formidable weapon for whoever is against such a craft.

_Heartless_: One of her Wheel-Lock Revolvers of her own make.

_Vindicate_ (Judge): One of her Wheel-Lock Revolvers of her own make.

Daggers: These weapons are rarely used and are considered back up weapons as well as last resort weapons.

_Shéng Biāo_: A Shéng Biāo is one of the flexible weapons in Chinese Martial Arts. This weapon is 10 metres long and is also made of Damascus Steel. Instead of rope, this weapon is made of steel in the shape of a thin but strong chain. This weapon holds a steel dart at the end and is used to catch opponents at a distance as well as ensnare foes as well as disarm them. Raisa is capable of using this weapon to twine, bind, circle, strike, pierce, as well as strangle. For the purpose of surprise, this is a hidden weapon which lies within the detachable tsuka of her _Wōdāo_.

**_Vocab:_**

_Wōdāo_: Literally means sword/knife, is a Chinese sword from the Ming Dynasty. It is long and slender, yet heavy, with a curved back and sharp blade. The Japanese Samurai Warriors were also adept with the very same weapon, just not forged with Damascus.

_Shéng Biāo_: Is also known as _Jōhyō _in Japanese.


	2. Act: I Chapter: I

**Act: I**

**Chapter I**

* * *

><p>It was easy to hear the wind blowing inside of the checkpoint the three of them had been in. As she could tell, there had not been much of anything going on beyond this post and if there were, it certainly had not been anything interesting. She had been standing with her arms crossed and with her back to a wall; she had been watching the surroundings. As a commanding officer, she took her position seriously—almost too seriously. She along with a few others had just recently graduated the academy and had also been entrusted with a Boarder Garrison were defending the current position for which they were currently occupying. Of course, despite her position she was one of the few who held such a high position with the country for it was not common to see a female as a commander and being one of the three female commanders which were assigned to this area had been a mixture of pride and ridicule.<p>

As she imagined, if a large enough force encroached upon the boarder they would be forced into combat and with this aforementioned force, they could easily be overrun and when a female was taken as a prisoner of war, everyone knew what happened to them. As she had heard, it even happened to a few males who would also suffer the same fate but the numbers and odds of that are nowhere near as high as for the female prisoner. Though she had decided that if she were going to be taken a prisoner, she would die before surrendering. No matter the odds, the threat, or how far from death she was, she would never become a prisoner of war. Her eyes fell to her weapon which stood beside her; it was a staff based weapon. It was not as heavy as the common lance and it was much more than the standard lance as well. This lance was the very weapon her father had wielded before her and this weapon is the very weapon which ended many a life; and just as it was with her father, it was with her—she gave it no tasteless name nor did she even name her weapon whatsoever, it was as it was with her father, Sergio Delgado. The weapon was referred to as the_ Bladed Lance_.

Its black color base was appealing to all who would drink in the sight of this weapon and its curved blades enable her to catch weapons as well as disarm offenders and even shattered blades. Just as Raisa held her beloved _Sapphire_ true and dear, Surina, the commanding officer of the military unit _Exodus_, loved her _Bladed Lance_ all the same.

Her mind was taken by the turning of a page within a book. Turning her head in the direction of the sound, her eyes fell upon the only male of the room. He was only shorter than Surina by what appeared to be an inch and was lacking physical shape. He was slightly brighter than Surina but not by much; he was also younger than Surina as well. As she studied him she recalled what she knew of him.

"_He is smart but __ignorant_,"

She began as her eyes slowly fell to the spine of the book he was reading. She scoffed as it had not a title upon its spine.

"_Polite but pathetic,_"

Now she looked to his long dark brown hair which had been tied in a long ponytail which extended to the middle of his back.

_"Artistic and delusional,"_

Gazing upon the old wounds about his left brow she cared nothing for how he attained such physical memories.

_"He is nothing but the abstract being that knows not even the bare breast of his opposing gender and he will never see such a thing—for how despicable__ he is__ and such a pathetic excuse of a man I've yet to lay my eyes upon…"_

Closing her eyes for a moment, she went into further thought about the individual for which a black hatred had slowly begun to paint itself. As she remained silent and in thought, her mind was still set attune with her surroundings. From the howling wind to her subordinate's blissful drinking; Surina was one to be continually focused even though she appeared not to be. Even while she had been multitasking, she herself was still very much the effective individual.

"_To think this fool is within her unit…" _

Surina gnashed her teeth as his position in his unit crept from her memories.

_"…let alone second in command." _

This was true. She knew not why such a credulous, ignorant, and lacking male would be chosen for such a position—at least he was respectful.

_"He is nothing more than a mere shield made of flesh. A target for the drones of foes and he'll be torn apart in mere seconds."_

Across the room, had been the individual which she had been degrading for a few moments now. Despite the silence, he enjoyed it. It was not uncomfortable nor did it make him want to engage in any conversation to break it. As he sat, his right hand had been pressed against his neck and this had not been out of boredom whatsoever. The young male had been intrigued. As he sat, he had been awaiting the arrival of a late addition, whose name was _Meiga,_ to the unit he had been second in command of; the _Gungnir_.

He was ordered by his commanding officer to await his arrival while two members of _Exodus_ are to be Meiga's escort and when the group of three returns, he and Meiga were to immediately return so that their commanding officer could meet the individual herself.

Of course, she would issue her orders, yet, she was not as tense as the commanding officer before him. Turning a page in the book he had been reading, he heard the commanding officer scoff. Perhaps he had been annoying her despite the fact that neither of the three of them had spoken since he had arrived. Looking up for a brief second, he saw that the Commanding Officer of _Exodus _had her arms crossed and was leaning against a wall.

The rush-candle that hung above her cast her shadow across the floor and gave her a slight devilish appearance. Her head had been tilted downward and her eyes were closed. The young male imagined that she had to be in thought. He did not want to disturb her since she had several important matters to think about.

He, himself, would imagine she would have plenty to think about as she was one of the newly added commanders and one of the few female commanders that has ever risen through the ranks to obtain the position she had attained. As he watched her, he could tell that she was focusing on something but he did not know what.

Her dark brown hair was drawn back and tied in a singular braid. She had a dagger about her waist and its scabbard was melded into the armor of her trousers. Her breastplate was of a sturdy and reliable make, as he could tell. The same went for her gauntlets which were made of steel. He wondered if her armor was made using a form of metal or iron which he knew not of but of course, there were many things he did not know and her armor was one of them.

One thing that stood out had been the insignia which he could see about her armor. It was imprinted into her right shoulder plate as well as the cloth about her armor at her waist. Beyond that though, he did not want to say anything about it. As he finished studying her, he just now noticed that her armor had been as black as night, minus the few finished and defining designs which were gilded within certain areas. The insignia itself had been a darker color of gold while the color behind it had been a powerful red. He was not entirely sure why, but her armor; her black armor, stood out in his memory and he was not entirely sure why. He did however, know that it had been recent but with that bit of information he still had not an idea how exactly to place it.

"I hope you are not undressing me with your eyes…"

Her voice was low and stern as it broke the silence about the three of them.

With that said, her eyes opened but her head did not rise. Even from this distance, he could see the irritation in her greenish-blue eyes. He had forgotten that she was one of the few whom held a sixth sense about things and apparently, the studying which he had been doing must have drawn in on that intense sixth sense of her and brought it about. Despite that, if he waited any longer before responding, she may believe herself to be entirely correct.

"I-I did no such thing Commander Surina!"

His voice was light. It gave away his youth easily but it also gave away the untold nervousness and maturity that lay within.

"I was only thinking of the black armor you wear and its craft…"

As his voice trailed he thought of adding on the idea of telling her of his thoughts on why her armor was so familiar but he chose not to do such a thing. Before she responded, she silently scoffed.

"Ah, yes, you are the Blacksmith by the name of _K__oo-sah-gee_ aren't you?"

Her voice had lost a bit of its edge, but not much. Yet, it mattered none, she cared not for his name and that is why she truly did not remember it.

"K-Kusanagi. My surname is Kusanagi, Commander Surina."

He was unable to make out the sound the commanding officer had produced yet, it sounded like a groan.

"Your craftsmanship is based on what exactly? Or are you only used for a single purpose?"

He thought of her to be taking interest in his work however, he was not at all convinced that she was. Not to mention her inquiry sounded almost as if it were an insult.

"By regular trade, I'm a Gunsmith and along with Raisa, we both work co-operatively so that we can be twice as efficient when it comes to either of our crafts Commander Surina."

Clearing his throat and placing both his hand upon the table he sat at he continued.

"As I am the Gunsmith, I craft, design, and even perform finishing touches upon a variety of firearms from the common matchlock to the flash pan and even cannons as well. I can also forge swords as a Bladesmith and also apply the talents of a Whitesmith to that as well Commander Surina."

He sounded quite proud of his capabilities despite how fragile his personality appeared. At least he was confident in himself.

"…and what of Raisa?"

This question threw him. He was not entirely sure of the commanding officer's question was meant for yet, he answered with what he thought was a satisfactory answer.

"Raisa is a very talented person Commander Surina. She is able to craft armor much better than I currently am able to do and her Bladesmithing excels beyond mine. Along with that we're pretty much at a stalemate in Gunsmithing abilities and ideas Commander Surina…"

His voice trailing, he thought to ask her a question. Even though he did not want to, he thought the conversation would do some good opposed to nothing but silence.

"Pardon me being so bold Commander Surina, but, does Commander Priya wear such mail as you do? Or rather as well, what brought about the design in your gauntlets Commander Surina?"

He asked with the design of her insignia despite it coming across entirely different. Within her insignia, he could see a skull's design. This insignia was the symbolic representation of _Exodus._

The Commander slowly lifted her head and her eyes narrowed at his questions. She appeared to be looking him over or rather, wanting her gaze to kill him on sight. Finally after a few seconds of silence, other than the commander's subordinate's gulping of liquor, she spoke.

"It's none of your concern."

With that stiff and monotone answer, she turned her head back to the outer surroundings. She was not much of one to speak; however, he could never guess why. She seemed not shy nor hesitant in anything she did but, that is how she had been towards him. He did not understand. The reason or reasons behind her attitude he did not know, yet, if he did, he would have some form of understanding of her. Then again, he then wondered if he would truly want to know what went through the mind of a commanding officer such as Surina and quickly told himself that it was better not to know.

"_I guess it's better if I do_—"

"Why do you ask about her now?"

His thoughts were cut off by the commander's sudden question. Her eyes were still fixed on the surroundings outside as she asked this and she sounded rather stern; much sterner than earlier. He was unsure of what to say, however, he did not need to speak as she added on.

"Do you have some form of lust for her and plan to seed your despicable oats?"

He had blinked in silent shock a few times after that question entered his ears.

"I…"

He was unable to respond. A common loss for words he had been at and he knew not how to overcome the block which he had now faced. He now knew why most commanders did not want to deal with Commander Surina. She was one who did not see eye to eye with any male; even if they were a superior to her. Commander Surina still saw them as nothing more or even at best—excrement.

"Not even within the knowledge of your question, why is it you ask me of this when you could merely leave her and be with your commanding officer?"

She was on the offensive and by her tone, it sounded as if she wanted him to come back with some form of retort.

Alas, he said nothing. Not to insult her in any fashion but he honestly knew not what to say. He merely looked on as a doe would towards any approaching threat—blank. It took moments, slow and tense moments before anything else was said and aside from the silence they had in common, there was nothing more than the sound of gulping from the other individual about the room.

"Hmph…"

It was the last sound she made before the initial silence resumed. He took it as though she had been either satisfied with his cowardice and her obvious dominance or probably she had just grown bored with the conversation. After a few moments of idleness, his light brown eyes had turned back to his book, but not before catching sight of the other female which had also been sitting at the long table as he had been doing.

She too, had been young, though older than he had been. In fact, as it donned on him, he had been the youngest out of _Exodus_. The young female sitting across from him was quite clearly bi-racial. He was able to tell that she had been Chinese and by her fiery red hair, he assumed Irish as well. The reason she had been so silent had been evident in the air. Rum had filled the small space with its alluring scent and he was sure the scent was heavy enough to be detected outside. Her hair was unique. It was cut at different angles and the longest length of her hair had been drawn up into a ponytail. Her armor was reminiscent of older makes. By the look of it he would say Greek or even Roman. It had been polished rather oddly for it appeared that each small random length was sections off in some form of design.

A single spaulder made home to her right shoulder. It held a curved spike which jutted skyward. She wore a coat of mail underneath her armor also it was not of chain. He knew not what it was composed of but it was armor no less. Armbands which appeared to be made of pure gold coursed both her arms and these armbands had the pattern of a flower. By the looks of them, they could be used as weapons if the wearer had thought of using them as such. Her forearms were covered by armguards that matched the pattern and color of the aforementioned armbands.

As he had heard, she could have any man she wanted; which was believable since she was quite attractive. As she took the small flask from her full lips, her emerald eyes met his light brown eyes. She lifted the flask in silent cheers and then she brought it back to her lips. As he looked on, he caught sight of the commander briefly looking at her subordinate and then away.

Watching her drink and hearing her drink were both two different forms of violations in her opinion. To him, he was not sure of what to make of it. Soldiers drank. That was common knowledge but for her to drink now seemed rather complacent.

"_It looks like maggots are pulsating from within her neck…"_

Realizing his thoughts were rather rude he quickly blocked them out. He resumed reading his book.

_"With the locking mechanism here, it's rather__…__classic in appearance but it's able to be attached there?"_

His face had easily shown his confusion as this book was not a public work but rather, several notes of his own writing as well as the numerous writing and collections of several other individuals. The book in which he had been reading was only the works of other Gunsmiths old and new. Despite his young age, he was in fact rather artistic and talented in the field of several Smithing processes.

He has yet to release anything revolutionary, though; he was on the brink of something grand. Raisa had shown him that idea through the work of her wheel-locking revolvers and the way she would craft had set him abuzz with new ideas. He had also taken some of her ideas and jotted them down into the book he had so that he could hypothesize and possibly come up with several new designs and functions for the standard pistol and Raisa's revolver idea which was taken from a male in Germany.

Reading and woolgathering as he was, he recalled why he was here in the first place. He had taken shelter with two other soldiers whom had also been assigned to guard the boarder of Parousia just as he was. Looking away from the book which he had brought with him, he saw that the same Grandallian soldier who had been sitting at the long table just as he had been, yet, she had been drinking herself into bliss. He, young in age and not even twenty years of age could not believe that she had been drinking while on duty—let alone on their very first night of duty.

Although he knew not much about anyone out here with him amongst the four units which were stationed, he knew that his unit, the _Gungnir_ and the unit _Exodus_ were both filled with individuals who were relatively new to the military of Parousia. He had already known his commanding officer was young and also that she had been one of Sergio's daughters. Sergio, himself, was a master swordsman with no equal in the field of battle. As he had heard, this male, Sergio was undefeated and had only died due to old age. Looking over to the commander, he remembered that she had been the other daughter of the male known as Sergio.

"Do you want some?"

He was distracted by her sudden inquiry. Looking at the young female, he again silently marveled at her beauty; though as he had heard from several individuals, she was quite _the working girl_. As he was within his mind, she took yet another swig from the flask. In doing this a bit of rum spilled out and onto her lips; to follow this a small flask down so that it upon the table, she extended a finger, being her index, and slowly ran it across her nether lip and then slowly inserted her finger into her mouth to suck the flavorful rum from it. This she did while retaining eye contact with the male who sat across from her.

Seeing that gained a hidden reaction which he was proud that neither of the females had seen. In fact, he probably should not rise from his seat for a few minutes. Acting as if he was not at all drawn in by what she had done, he turned his attention back to the book he had been reading. It was not long until he heard a wooden chair being dragged across the floor and then as it reeled up next to him, the scent of rum filled his nostrils just as she slowly down in the chair next to him.

"What are you reading?"

Had been the next question she had asked him. Her accent was light but he could still detect it rather well. Despite the fact that as she spoke those words, her breath, filled with alcohol caressed his nostrils. He disliked the scent, however he was not rude and he refrained from being such. As he innately gagged, he kept a calm face as he prepared to give her an answer.

"…a…"

He could feel his body slowly beginning to reject the scent and not only that, his dinner.

"…a book of Smiths and Smithing Techniques."

He finally managed to get out without regurgitating. Her eyes, green as an emerald looked him up and down as if she had been watching a bouncing ball. He innately gulped as he noticed this all while keeping his nose and eyes to his book. He noticed that she had crossed her legs and what made this unfavorable was that they were crossed in his direction. A small wince was made about the right of his face—out of her sight but fully noticeable by the Commanding Officer Surina, who stood less than ten feet from where they both sat.

"Hmm,"

He silently cursed as she leaned in his direction.

"Don't you wanna do somethin' else…hmm, what was your name again…"

Her voice trailed before she produced a name.

"…Ryle?"

"…Ky,"

He slowly replied while choking on the fact that he gave his name to a complete drunken stranger.

"…My name is Kusanagi Ky…"

Again, he had told her to at least hope she would remember it, of course, it would prove to be for naught.

"Ah…too bad, I like Ryle better…"

Ky inwardly sighed while physically maintaining a presentable face and still keeping his face and eyes in his book. That is until she slowly lowered that book with a free hand and then rested her chin within her right palm.

"Y'know, you're cuter when you aren't so high strung and readin' about useless stuff right?"

Her voice was sweet in his ears but poisoned by her drunkenness. Ky knew that more than likely any other male would immediately bend her over and penetrate her without question but not he, not even if he were not on duty, he, Ky, wouldn't touch her in that fashion—let alone at all. Despite what his erection wanted.

"…you're only saying that because you're…"

He stopped in order to think of the proper thing to say and not try to feed her any form of anger.

"…completely bored…"

Ky knew it was one of the most ridiculous things to say, however, nothing better had come to his mind. He could have also sworn that the commander had gagged a few seconds ago as well.

"Besides, it's a good book to read…"

Lifting the aforementioned book up from the table, Ky held it within his right hand, where his thumb and pinky were facing him and his ring, middle, and index were firmly placed against the cover, spine, and back of the book. As he picked back up on reading, he was yet again distracted as the female next to him sighed.

"Well, of course, I'm bored…I need a little…midnight rendezvous and I want that rendezvous to be with you Kyle."

As she finished that sentence, a drunken smirk slowly stretched about her face while Ky's did all it could to hide the horror that his wanted to reveal to the world. His book was still within his hand while he twitched at the contact of her toes gliding up his left calf. Little did he know, she had moved her chair even closer to his and now, they were literally side by side. As he leaned away from her, she took his left hand and pulled it underneath the table and down onto her right thigh.

"Don't worry…I'll be ever so gentle with you…"

Her voice trailed as Ky pulled himself away from her.

"…aw, don't be so worry-some,"

She began as she lifted the jug of rum to her lips. After taking a deep drink from it she then placed a free hand on her right breast as the warmth of the liquor slowly burned her chest.

"…I won't break you since it's your first time-"

"You two make me sick…"

With her sudden commentary, Ky used this to his advantage.

"I could swear, that we are on a mission to defend this very boarder against invaders or any other threats,"

As she continued to speak, Ky slowly got up from his seat and maneuvered behind Raiko and leaned against the wall of the look-out which was nearest to the exit.

"…not wonder how long it takes until you bed yet another man…"

In her silence, she looked to Ky. She noticed that he had used her as a distraction for his own needs yet, she pondered on her own words and Ky himself.

"…I thought you would have better tastes than to settle for a mere child Raiko…especially one who's not yet grown his manhood or anything close to the like."

Her words pierced Ky like hot knife through butter, but Surina continued.

"I suppose your lust knows no bounds…such class…for such a tasteless woman…"

Scoffing, she turned her gaze to the surroundings once more.

"S-"

He was about to say something but he was cut off by Raiko's obnoxiously loud laugh. It was so loud and so sudden enough that not only he, but Surina herself, had slightly jumped from its ferocity.

"All's well with a bit of fun Commander…wouldn't you agree?"

With this inquiry, she made a gesture to her commanding officer by holding the jug of rum out and tipping it in her direction; asking if she wanted a swig.

"…"

The commander said not a word. After the younger female chuckled, the jug of rum was heard sliding upon the surface of the smooth wooden table and not a second later, it met her full lips once more. Listening to her loudly swallow the substance, the commander rolled her eyes while Ky held a face which easily revealed how relieved he felt to be further away from the younger female.

"… _she drinks too much…"_

This thought had passed through Ky's mind more than just once. With the commander's words, it was brought right back to the front of his mind-this was his first night as an on-duty soldier and he had been completely nervous. This is why he kept his head in the journal which he always referred to as a book when it clearly was not. Ky was naturally quiet and preferred not to be placed in the limelight for any reason; this nervousness was also something which had gotten in the way of what he wanted in life.

"Either way, the sooner this night ends, the better…"

As her voice trailed Ky stayed where he was while Raiko rested her delicate bare hand upon her cheek and smirked.

"Well, Commander, does that mean you've someone special you're just dying to get back to?"

The playfulness in her voice held nothing from what she truly meant to say.

"There's no one I need to concern myself with other than the remaining members of my family. No marriage, man, treasure or glory is as important as that."

Looking to the youth known as Raiko, she gave her own question.

"What makes liqueur appealing to you as it is? The attraction others have to and for you to receive attention from both the sober and the intoxicated or the fact that you con men out of their well-earned funds in order to sustain yourself?"

Raiko laughed at what she had been asked. Though, she knew they were serious questions, she had a serious answer prepared as well.

"If you live your life so high-strung you'll only die by stressing yourself too much. This is why I mix business with pleasure and therefore, I can never be too weighed down about anything so long as I keep my head about things. Liqueurs as you've asked are by far quite delicious. If you've ever decide to actually have a drink, you'll see they taste far better than plain and bland liquor. For others, well, if a man's attractive then he be attractive. I need not give much sway if he already desires the night with me and I need not give much sway to empty him whether it be funds or…"

She trailed off with laughter. Surina shudder while Ky shifted his position against another wall.

"It seems that your taste stretches to that of even children if you dare bring him into the picture."

"Oh?"

Looking to Ky she playfully batted her eyes and then blew a kiss to him.

"… No and hell no…"

He began. Neither of them had saw it but Surina herself had erased the smirk long before it had the opportunity to be discovered.

"Well, you've nerve now don't you?"

"Nerve enough not to be so taken by one who throws themselves at me…sure…I've nerve…really I do…"

"Ha!"

With that, Raiko set aside her jug and turned towards Ky while still sitting in the chair. Additionally, Raiko had crossed her legs and rested her chin upon the back of her right fist as her arm rested upon the long table. Her left arm lay calmly across the back of the chair.

"Do you expect me to be literal of wanting to bed you Ky? If I were to hold nothing back and play none, you're virginity would last not the night."

She hesitated for a second before she added on to her claim.

"…Though due to your inexperience, just under half the hour is what I can gauge of you, and simply because I may say something with a slurred manner mean not of me to be complacently drunk or that of the utter fool. "I em narst interxycetid by any meins zir," as was said to the Commander of Obstruction, literally thought I was drunk but ultimately, before anything could take off to a more romantic appeal, his wife found him and beat him out of the tavern will the roller!"

She proudly exclaimed. Ky slowly shook his head and silently laughed. Surina on the other hand found this not to be a laughing matter of any sort. As Raiko had just stated, she had been working on one male for the pure fact of seduction and he was married and a commander yet, he had been caught by his wife in public which marks poorly on him and more importantly, it poorly marks the military.

"You're actually proud that you humiliated him in front of the public?"

"I'm "proud" that I got free liqueur. Nothing more, nothing less."

After a second of silence she looked over to Surina whom had been silent and directed her speech towards her next.

"Though I must apologize Commander, last week, you asked if I had been intoxicated and I literally said "Zir, yu air ee fairzy axacative men Zir!" I was completely and utterly boozed and couldn't tell a penis from a roll of dark bread."

Surina's eyes flared open and her face had flushed just enough for Ky to notice.

"Zir…what?"

Turning her head to Ky she then translated what she had said.

"I literally said "Sir you are a fairly attractive man Sir!" and through that drunkenness, I will be honest…she looked mighty damn good if you ask me of my opinion anyway."

A small smirk had begun to curl at her lips as she bounced her crossed legs while looking towards her commanding officer, though this jest was not going to continue.

"Shut up…"

At her command, Raiko eyed her commander and said not another word on the matter. As Ky was about to ask why Raiko drinks to the point of becoming drunk they were interrupted with a few brisk knocks about the door. As the door slowly opened, it then had produced a man of dark hair and Asian descent. He wore a long coat which had been dark in color and a long-sleeved dark leather shirt underneath it. He was roughly five feet and seven or eight inches and he held a scar about his face as well. As he stepped into the dimly lit space, he looked around before he spoke a word.

"Ah, how are you all this night?"

With a warm smile upon his face he bowed deeply. His hair was in the style of a samurai tail and the band which held his hair in this style had been dark enough to blend with his dark hair. Rising from his bow, he immediately greeted Commander Surina whom he identified rather quickly while she narrowed her eyes.

"I am the addition that a Kusanagi was waiting for ah, but how rude of my, my name is Meiga."

Again, he bowed and quickly recovered. With his dark brown eyes looked between Ky and Raiko knowing that one of the two had been Kusanagi. Closing his book, Ky lifted himself from the wall he had been against and pointed his left thumb to himself.

"Kusanagi Ky and I'm guessing you're the last addition right?"

"A pleasure,"

Meiga extended his arm and in turn Ky took it. Within the Grandallian army, a common form of greeting amongst males had been firmly grasping the forearm of the male you are just meeting and shaking it.

"Though who can say if I'm the last? Another may be a miscreant and must be transferred to a newly developed unit. Or in my case, simply receive a new set of orders."

A new set of orders or _a Change in Orders_ was a rare thing and only done as a last resort or if that was what was the best option for whomever had been given the change.

"I do trust you are all well this night?"

He now asked as he released Ky's arm.

"… I don't think it's the best time, but,"

Ky quickly looked from Surina to Raiko and then back to the man who had just entered the look-out.

"It's best if we simply go, there's the Commander of Gungnir you've yet to meet."

His book was quickly hidden within his leather pouch, which coursed his waist and after that, he made his way to the long table and knelt down.

"My…you want to use your mouth there?"

"…"

He said nothing to Raiko's gesture while Meiga looked away in the opposing direction since he had caught full wind of what Raiko had meant.

"I…uh…don't believe I caught your name miss?"

Looking to the male whom had addressed her, she smiled as she stood. As she rose, her skirt had revealed her luscious thighs from each side and her cuirass was that of a make of a tortoise in design. Armor of long and thin scale had covered her arms and it reflected the flame within the room quite beautifully.

"Raiko,"

She politely and almost elegantly responded to him as he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"You're quite the charmer now aren't you Meiga?"

Releasing her hand and taking a short step backwards he gave a small smile as well as a light chuckle.

"I charm none my dear, I am only polite to all whom I do meet."

As they continued to speak, Ky unhinged his blade from underneath the long table and then after that, his pistol, and lastly his dagger. Getting to his feet, Ky adjusted his weaponry and holstered his pistol to his right thigh. As he had done this Surina had an eye on him. She observed him as he belted his strange sword just above his buttocks and his dagger was fastened and adjusted at his left thigh. His armor was light but durable. As she recalled, Raisa had assisted Ky in the make of the very armor he wore.

From his chest armor to the dark silver greaves he wore; they were of a joint effort. Looking away from him she returned her gaze to her surroundings. She could see the two escorts which had delivered Meiga conversing amongst themselves and by the armor, she could tell that Gallagher was the one whom had taken off his helm and the smaller figure was that of Riese.

"_I know not much of that woman…"_

As this thought lifelessly danced about her mind she recalled that she had been artful in her dual bladed style of combat. Riese wielded two long curved daggers which were ideal for penetrating armor though at the same time, Surina oft wondered if she had another profession long before becoming a soldier. There had been something that was off about her yet, she could not place it.

"_Soon enough, time will tell…"_

Dropping the issue, she looked at Meiga and Ky as they conversed while Raiko stood fairly close to Meiga as she stood before Ky.

"…would you care for a drink?"

Meiga glanced over to the jug and assumed that is where the scent of booze had been emanating.

"It is still fairly chilled due to the weather and it being cased outdoors after all."

Politely Meiga bowed.

"I do apologize Raiko, but drinking would have to be on another night at some time. Especially in the company of others it would be the most splendid of a get together."

"A celebration you mean?"

"But of course, as for fact, I do believe I've caught ear that Exodus should be receiving an addition as well."

Surina's attention was now completely upon Meiga as those words left his mouth.

"If I do recall correctly, he is one of the General's protégés."

If that were true then there was simply not a way for Surina to ditch this 'addition' to her unit.

"Oh, do you hear that Commander, we've a new one joining us soon."

Her commanding officer did nothing more than scoff while turning her head to the window.

"Well,"

She began as she turned back to Meiga.

"When is this celebration with others going to take place? Will there be liqueurs? Most importantly, are you going to be there Meiga?"

Her dainty hand was smooth against neck as her hand slowly slid down his neck and to his chest it had felt as silk had been draped about his chest.

"I…"

Clearing his throat he took a step away from her.

"Should see what everyone else thinks on it though I do believe we both best be returning to Gungnir, don't you agree Kusanagi?"

Looking up from his book, Ky noticed the blade which was at Meiga's waist. It was a katana. By its tsuka it looked similar to a Masamune. Quickly averting his eyes Ky nodded while saying nothing.

"Aww…such a shame, you should stay awhile longer."

Her arms were wrapped around his left arm and Meiga actually seemed to be sweating from the additional attention he had been getting from Raiko.

"Raiko leave them be and cease the flirtatious banter."

Heaving a light sigh of boredom, Raiko released Meiga, who in turn silently sighed in relief.

"There needn't be any merry making and screams throughout the night to wake even wild beasts from their slumber and I needn't see bare breast of either of you under this flame or the moon."

"…at least someone holds the same thoughts as I do."

Although his words had been in an agreement with the Commander's, she need not a choir.

"What makes your words needed Kusanagi?"

Feeling her hostility he closed his eyes and turned his back.

"The best thing you are is the living sacrifice for one whom grows to close to Priya with their blade—other than that, you serve no purpose. Lest it be the short lived pleasure with this minx who relishes within the joy of children's innocence despite that innocence only being able to last at best be ten minutes and the supper served be not even cold by the time your loins have grown tired in age and strength!"

"Please, Commander Surina,"

Meiga had interjected and bowed while doing so.

"I think not it best for us to argue especially when we were about to leave. It would be ill of us all to bear grudges against one another now isn't it Commander? Especially if we all fight for the same army?"

Rising from his bow, she had given him nothing but a scowl.

"So…you think that MY attitude and MY judgment are out of place?

"That is not the case Suri—"

Ky had been cut off and in the time he had shut his eyes to blink and to reopen them, Surina had already an outstretched hand for his throat. With no time to react, Ky was seized and pinned against the wall near the window. Grunting and gasping for his breath was lost, he quickly regained it and attempted to speak yet, before he could progress any further in speech, the sound of metal caressing metal forced him to stiffen against a wall.

"Sur..."

Ky was cut off again as Surina growled at him. In addition to her unpredicted change in demeanor, he dared not speak whilst a cold dagger of Damascus was at his swarthy hairless gullet.

Meiga had not an idea of what to do and took a step towards them yet; Raiko had seized his right arm and gently tugged on him. Looking to her he had witnessed her shaking her head which told him not to interfere.

"Still your tongue lest you lose it!"

She leaned closer to his face as she had only begun to make her point. Staring into her bluish-green eyes, he could only stare into them to see the reflection of the dagger which was held to his esophagus, he cleared his throat to speak; however, he was cut off yet again.

"Mind your tongue for you are no friend of mine nor do you have any right to use my name as is! I outrank you private and never let that run from your mind for if I ever catch ear to you speaking my name with no meaning then it is your head which I shall vivisect!"

Eying the_ Bladed Lance_, Ky inwardly gulped due to the fact that Surina was now in the military. If she killed, she would be justified and with her standing, she would not even receive a slap upon her wrist for her actions. It mattered not who argued against her. All in all, it would promote that the military had been the true strength of the Parousia and that if you did not fall in line and obeyed, you would die. Pulling the dagger away from his esophagus, Surina turned her attention back to the silence that loomed on the outside of the checkpoint.

As he held his neck with his right hand, he watched Surina sheath the dagger in the belt which was attached her waist.

Judging by the style of the dagger, he could tell that Raisa had not only crafted the dagger, but the sheath as well. Raisa of course, was a Bladesmith just as he had been. The difference is that she made weapons from rare steel, which hailed from Japan; in fact, the very sword that Raisa had armed herself with was of her own work. He recalled that her _Wōdāo_ was beautiful in decoration. It was to mimic the pattern of water and to accompany that, her _Wōdāo_ held a pattern of gold within it. What also made this weapon stand out was that it was slightly longer than the average katana.

As he held his throat, Meiga rushed to his side and offered his aid but Ky refused and adjusted his armor. He had lost a bit of himself by not addressing Surina by her rank especially when they were on duty. Not only that, Surina held her position with an iron fist. Her pride was one thing that no one could take from her though her anger was something that he believed she could do without.

"…I don't care what you do, nor do I care of where you go…"

Breaking away from his thoughts, Ky did not look at her as she spoke her words.

"…Whether it be you go home, or no… you do not have to go home, you just have to get hell out of here."

Adjusting the scabbard upon his waist, Ky turned to Meiga and signaled that it was time for them to leave. Raiko waived to them both and in turn they returned the gesture. Her face had revealed that she herself had not been a fan of the violence but there was nothing she could do.

Closing the door behind him, Meiga quickened his pace to catch up with Ky. Looking to his right he saw Archer and Riese still conversing. They were probably completely oblivious to what had just transpired though if they were then it be a good thing. No one really needed to see that. As they marched on, placing distance between them and the checkpoint, Meiga asked Ky if he had been alright.

"…I'm fine…"

With that quick answer, Meiga knew he had still been rattled by Surina's sudden outburst especially when he had done not a thing wrong.

"I'm sure it was just some kind of misunderstanding or something of the like, not a need to be all up in arms over something as little as nothing."

Ky stopped and turned to Meiga. His face held a slight amount of fear but mostly embarrassment. As Meiga studied these features swirling about Ky's face he looked him in his light brown eyes and spoke:

"You didn't do a thing wrong Kusanagi, I'm sure of it. She's possibly on edge simply because this is her first night of duty as it is all our first night to be upfront and honest. Some people just cannot take it as casual as the rest of us."

"_The rest of us…"_

With that thought echoing in his mind he recalled that he was never included in anything with anyone when he had been a child. Now, he was be included in the masses as if he had been "normal". This analogy which Meiga had brought about being between Ky, Surina and the general populace seemed to bring a sense of peace to him. Not much but a small sense.

As Ky recalled, he was the more favorable and even likeable of the two as he overheard numerous people speaking when he had been compared to others and in one particular moment, he had heard Abelia favored him over Surina as well. If that actually were the case that her position and her first night holding that position were true, then he could let it go and forget about it.

Without a word, Ky turned on his heel and continued on. Meiga was right behind him and proud that he was able to defuse a situation. As time passed, Meiga had estimated that it had been roughly fifteen minutes which had gone by and as they traveled by foot, there need not be this much silence between them. Plotting of something to say, he recalled what he knew about Ky. He had heard he was a recent academy graduate and that he was hand-picked by Priya herself. Not to mention he had heard numerous people question the commander's choice in making him her second in command. Meiga also knew that Ky had opened a Shoppe which he worked on parts for ranged weaponry, blades and even armor.

"_That is it."_ With this realization, he snapped his fingers which caught Ky's attention.

"So I hear you're quite the Gunsmith that has been refining the way the military looks to firearms."

"It isn't much but I do what I can. Raisa is more the professional when it comes to Smithing though."

"Raisa?"

Meiga's brow furrowed.

"You mean the same Raisa that had bested Commander Abelia as well as Commander Kagami?"

Ky had nodded before he spoke:

"The one and only."

"Well, I never thought I would be placed in such an interesting unit."

"Interesting?" Ky repeated.

"Why, yes,"

Clearing his throat, Meiga simultaneously stepped over a partially unearthed boulder of a rock and continued.

"As most do know and surely even yourself, your, oh, my mistake on words, our commander is one of the daughters of a great commander and thus is a prized asset to the army itself. Furthermore as I've heard from Archer and Riese Commander Priya passed with soaring colors just as her sister, Commander Surina has."

As they continued to press on, Ky fell into his mind and paid not a shred of attention to Meiga.

"_He knows that much of them already?"_

He thought as he mindlessly nodded to whatever Meiga was saying.

_"I didn't even know Commander Priya had a sister until earlier today…not only that both of them being the descendants of some great military commander is news to me…"_

Looking to the moon as it was uncovered he saw a small object fly in front of it. He thought it to be a lone bird and if so then there really was nothing to do or even think about it—it was just a small bird.

"…Though it does seem a bit out of place for us to be moved about so much? Do you think this is routine Kusanagi?"

"_I don't even really know why I'm here in the first place…"_

"Kusanagi?"

"…_I mean…sure, murder is murder but to save a woman's life from being ended shouldn't give this kind of outc—"_

"Ky are you alright?"

With this question, a hand was placed upon his shoulder. Shaking off his thoughts, Ky nodded.

"Yeah…I'm fine,"

He weakly replied.

"…Just lost in thought."

"Oh? About what?"

He sounded truly interested in Ky's thoughts.

"I do think it best to have an insight to the second in command; that is of course, if it is not too much to tell?"

"It…"

His voiced trailed as he searched for the words to say.

"It's just a few situations really…"

Wiping his brow of sweat, he adjusted his arm and rested his elbow upon the hilt of his composite blade.

"Life throws so many things at you, like disease, love, death, hardships, fame, glory, blood, children, innocence, murderers, and how exactly are we supposed to take all this in? It can't be at once because that's just far too much."

Ky had ceased his movements on a second path which led off their course as he spoke these words.

"It seems as if you're born, you do what you can in life and then you die and there's not even a guarantee if you'll live to old age or even have children or that your wife will live."

"Life is unfair in all aspects Kusanagi."

"It's just Ky…you don't have to be so formal."

"Ah, but it is my nature."

"Oh…"

Ky's voice trailed.

"With life, it is uncertain, just as child birth,"

Extending his arms as he spoke, Ky made a mental note that Meiga mostly spoke with his hands.

"After a woman is pregnant it is roughly in-between five to nine months for the child to be born. Even with the time as it passes you do not know if it be a boy or a girl so it is best to be prepared for either and to praise which result yields forth. In life, you can only live and take everything one step at a time."

"…I guess…"

He was unsure. Ky would rather know what was coming towards him and how quickly and at what angle and how he could prevent it. Not charge on blindly and believe that everything would be well and in fact. Things never turned out well in the end for anyone who blindly lived like that and he knew it all too well. As Meiga took a few steps towards him he placed his hand upon his left shoulder again and delivered yet another question:

"You never did mention why you joined the military Kusanagi?"

"…neither did you."

Meiga was taken aback by his quick retort although there had been one thing amiss about his words.

"I did…a few short moments ago, I went on and told you the reason and all…"

Ky felt slightly embarrassed that he had attempted to call Meiga out on something and it turns out that it had already been stated.

"That alone proves that something is bothering you Kusanagi no matter how you wish to deny it."

Without a word, Ky turned back on course and trekked onward with Meiga a short three feet behind him. Neither of them had spoken a word for quite a bit now until Ky wiped sweat from his brow for the umpteenth time.

"I came from Hokkaido after my parents were killed…"

Immediately Meiga was about to apologize yet, Ky had cut him off as he resumed speaking.

"…My father, Kojiro, was a Bladesmith who had dealt with buyers from this far west and even farther. My mother, Akiko was a Gunsmith. Her talents led to improvements upon the rifle yet, women aren't given their fair share of credit and she was widely unknown to the common people. I spent most of my life learning from them both and how to improve on the other techniques that are widely used and I've a far way to go, but I at least know what I'm doing right?"

With his last word he looked over his shoulder to Meiga who nodded only once.

"My mother wanted me to find my older brother who has taken my mother's surname Kisaragi; in my travels I swapped parts, gold and bought books which dealt with both of their trades. I had hoped that eventually I could open a Shoppe and sell and craft parts, sword and firearms through it but it hasn't been easy doing that."

"Wait, but don't you and Raisa run the Shoppe that bears not a name? Correct me if I am wrong but I do believe I've seen it once or twice."

"You might've…but it isn't a free thing that we're doing."

Meiga slowed his pace as Ky continued which made Meiga pick up his pace.

"After I made it to Parousia, I searched around and about most of the day. I had met some good people, Kai, of _Relic_ being one of them, and I also sat in and listened to her sing in the choir…"

Meiga's eyes narrowed as he searched about the surroundings. He knew not why but he felt as if they were being watched yet, as Ky's words entered his ears he wondered why one of the holy choir must take arms and serve within the military.

"After she sang, it wasn't long before people began to leave with their bibles in hand and she approached me and asked my name. I take it she had never saw a Japanese person before,"

Ky chuckled which made Meiga force out his own chuckle.

"She was shocked that our names were so similar but she offered me an invitation to return to the church, which I accepted. It was then after I looked for more places to trade and I found few which were open in the late hour, so I then searched about for an inn…but that was cut short."

Meiga tilted his head to his right slightly as he looked at Ky's long braid. It was a deep brown. From their he looked to the pistol which was strapped to Ky's thigh and above that had been Ky's sword.

"_What matter of forge is that?"_

As this thought passed through Meiga's mind he eyed the thick and lengthy blade. From its position, Meiga knew Ky to be the left-handed combatant but also that meant his firing arm had been his right. Even more so to his observing, Meiga noticed that Ky's armor was not the standard Grandallian issue.

_"If he knows about the forge he most likely knows about the process of armor as well…"_

Ky's armor appeared sturdy and weighted though by the way he moved, it gave the armor a false impression—as if the armor was much lighter than it appeared. His rounded pauldrons even looked light and the same for his silver greaves as well. In fact, the scaled belt which Ky wore had been the only thing which truly seemed to be of any considerable weight.

"…I realized that I didn't have any gold that would last me for the fee and the food that I'd have to pay for, so I looked about for someplace to sleep. Just in an alley or so…nothing I'm not used to but as I turned into the alley I planned to sleep in I found three men and a man and his wife. The wife had been behind the man and had been cowering while the man had been beaten bloody. He was still standing and tried to protect his wife so without a second though, I jumped in and tried to help them but three to one leaves me outnumbered no matter how I went about it. After a short while I was all but beaten dead. My nose was all bloody…I had cuts, and gashes everywhere and they just laughed at me since they knew they had won but then…"

"Then?" Meiga repeated as he leaned in closer to Ky."

"Then _she_ came…"

Meiga was going to ask "who" since Ky had gone silent for a moment yet, he added on before Meiga could ask.

"…her blade was that of water and she easily cut two of them down in mere seconds—if not a second. The last man tried to exploit her open but I shot him in the side of his face…"

As his voice trailed, Meiga felt a bit sorry for Ky. He was a hero who needed saving and not to another man but a woman which was humiliating no matter what the intention.

"It had been a few moments later that Grandallian forces showed up and arrested us both. It goes to show you that no matter the intention, murder is still murder."

Ky said this after he had taken a pause in his progress. He had looked to the moon as it had been concealed by the clouds and now, they were in complete darkness. Slowly taking in his breaths, Ky turned to Meiga to see if he had still been there and he was not enthralled when he saw his figure within the darkness. Turning away from him, Ky pressed on.

"…so what became of you two?"

"We were taken to the castle and imprisoned within the dungeons for over a month for our crimes—"

"You were locked in Parousia's Dungeon?"

Meiga had stopped in his tracks as he interjected to produce this question. Turning to face him, Ky nodded while simultaneously verbalizing with:

"We were,"

A light sigh was heard from Ky as he continued to walk.

"We were barely fed and given mostly scraps of bread and water. It was over time that we both came to know each other despite the obvious tension."

"Who was this woman?"

"…"

He did not want to answer the question at first, however; there was not a way out of this now.

"…Raisa."

With that name said aloud, Meiga froze in his tracks.

"R…you mean Raisa, the one who bested the Commander known as Abelia as well as Dawn, Kagami and other Commanders and Lieutenants?"

"That's her…but she didn't beat Dawn. They came to a stalemate."

He then went on to explain the main point of the matter.

"We were fed little and knocked around by the guards to but, after a while, it all stopped. That week that the abuse had ended had been the same week General Girardot had come to visit us with a proposition."

"Proposition?"

Meiga repeated after he had caught up with Ky.

"Yeah…if we craft for the military, we will work off our "debt to society."

It was Raisa's idea that we join the military since we were both stuck in this situation and as she explained if we did this, we could possibly get out of this earlier than expected."

"That is…"

Meiga's voice trailed.

"It's just a misconception taken into a work-slave routine and then lastly made into a soldier…nothing too tricky about it really…unless you had another idea in mind?"

"That seems a bit vague and what isn't vague seems to be that of blackmail Kusanagi. Are you saying that the Emperor is enforcing some form of blackmail upon you?"

Meiga had again stopped. Not only that, he seemed rather serious in tone as well. Ky knew he could not freely express each and every thought and if he did it could easily result in the death which he had originally narrowly avoided.

"Even if it were, what could any of us do about it?"

Ky was no fool. Naïve yes, but a fool, no. He knew full well that if one were to catch wind of him marking the Emperor in such a fashion, soldier or not, it would be to the gallows he went. Defamation of the Emperor especially, in such matters which were of the sort would not be taken lightly whatsoever. Though he had a slight feeling that Meiga was smarter than the average individual, it mattered none. What is done is what is done.

"Nothing I suppose…"

His voice was rather low and sounded almost defeated yet, at the very same time, Ky could pick up his caution. He did not believe Ky's dancing about the question with a question to be true.

"Either way…after we were released, we both took shelter in an old and abandoned dwelling. It took a short time but we fixed it up and divided it off into sections especially for our rooms and place of work. It's odd, I'll admit but we had not a choice and it's easier working cooperatively as well…"

He was trying to find some good in his predicament but Meiga saw not much good in it whatsoever.

"The best thing I'd say is that I always have an opinion and someone to talk to."

The last bit of that made Meiga realize that Ky had more than likely not many friends and was clinging to what he could in order to survive. As it was stated, Ky had lost most his family so he had literally told Meiga that he had been alone though while unable to do things on his free will, he at least has someone he can truly call his friend.

"Well as much as I dislike the events I—"

Meiga's voice had been drowned out in sound when compared to the gunfire that had shattered the stillness of the night. Instinctively, they both got down on the ground without a second's hesitation. Looking up and about, Ky slowed his mind and asked himself a question:

"_W-was that Raisa's revolver?"_

As he questioned himself, he once again replayed the blast within his mind.

_"It…it sounded like…"_

As his thought trailed he replayed it once again and after a decent and unsettling amount of silence, he repeated it once more.

"…it's Raisa…"

With his verbal realization of this and his memory to confirm what his ears had fed his mind, Ky got to his feet and told Meiga to come with him. Immediately, Ky took off down the path like a shot, nearly leaving Meiga behind.

Rushing on, Meiga had in fact been correct, Ky had been moving faster that he had been and Meiga wore little armor. This meant that Ky's armor was lightweight which led to another speculation or rather a rumor which Meiga had heard. He had heard Ky was the acrobat when it came to combat and he was rumored to dance about the blade. If this were true then he would see just how the second in command of _Gungnir_ fought.

"Where…where is her point Kusanagi?"

"_Just wait right there Raisa, I'm comin' for ya."_

"Kusanagi!"

"_You bailed me out twice and I've yet to even do anything to help you out…it doesn't matter though…this time it'll be different."_

"…can you hear me? Kusanagi!"

Meiga now shouted.

"…_It doesn't matter the force, this time, this time I'll be the one to save you…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter I End<strong>

_End Notes:_

Surina is the Commander of the unit _Exodus_ and takes her rank seriously.

Raiko is a member of _Exodus_ and loves to drink and seduce men whether it be for liqueurs or for a night of bliss.

Ky and Meiga are both of the paradigm _Gungnir_, which is under the command of Commander Priya. Ky is the second in command of the paradigm although, he and others believe he is undeserving of such a placement within the paradigm.

Ky and Kai (though Kai is merely her nickname) are both Christian.

Raisa and Ky have not a choice but to adhere to the will of the Emperor for if they did not, they would both be hung.

**Vocab**

Gunsmith: One who specializes in the construct of parts pertaining to a firearm (pistol, rifle, harquebus, etc.)

Bladesmith: An individual who crafts blades and knives and other bladed weaponry.

Hokkaido: This area is far north in Japan and it is where Ky was born and raised. This is also where he found both his parents, Kojiro and Akiko, murdered.


	3. Act: I Chapter: II

**Act: I**

**Chapter II**

* * *

><p>The breeze had died down several times in the past hour. Additionally, her eyes were constantly adjusting to the change in visibility due to the clouds overhead. She sat atop a proud white stallion; his name had been Odin. As they watched the land below she held her weapon within her right hand. It was a <em>Bladed Lance<em> just as the Commander of the unit _Exodus_ wielded. Instead of her weapon holding dark colors, hers had been a contrast.

The shaft, glistening silver and the ornaments of the weapon had been treated to pallor white. The blades of her weapon were only two on each end while the Commander of _Exodus_ bore three jutting blades on each end. She had been different from the Commander of _Exodus_ in several ways yet, one would remain a constant. Surina, the Commanding Officer of _Exodus_ had been her elder sister.

She was and always would be, the younger sister. This was Commander Priya and she commanded the paradigm _Gungnir_ of the Grandallian army. She was of a darker complexion, just as her sister, and her hair was just as dark as well. Priya's hair had been set within two braids and these braids were tied behind her and danced when the breeze picked up.

Her eyes were a bluish-green just as her sister's eyes had been though her eyes held much more compassion than the elder of the two. Her armor had also been of the polarity opposite to Surina's; whereas hers had glistened within the darkness of the night due to the coming and going moon while Surina's allowed her to bathe within the darkness.

Priya's armor consisted of a suit of chainmail. This chainmail was treated so that it would not glisten when light struck it. This was for tactical purposes as well as for her safety. She wore shoulder plates which had been treated and colored white. The edges of her shoulder plates were gilded, just as her elder sister's. Her breastplate was of the same color scheme as well as being gilded. The gauntlets which coursed her forearms were designed with the very thought of a Valkyrie in mind. A silver base and white accent they held. The steel face of the Valkyrie had been silver and the design of wings jutted forth as an actual weapon if need be.

To her waist were belted armor plates and to accompany these plates had been a long skirt which was crafted into it. The plates were of a deep silver and the edges were of course, gilded. Her feet were poorly protected. She wore leather boots which hailed from Rome. The boots completely revealed her feet yet there were strips of steel etched into these boots. Even the very bottoms of these boots were deceiving. Priya had steel slabs inserted into their bottoms while cleverly masking that with additional leather. This was for her benefit for when she had been in combat; she believed she needed such a thing to be done.

Stroking Odin's neck, Priya continued to watch the land below her position. She had been watching Raisa's checkpoint the most, even though there were others she needed to watch for as well. Priya had been uneasy due to how her forces were spread. At present, she had been watching all things from atop her perch while Raisa had been down upon the beaten path and in the open.

From this height, she could see what she believed to be a small rush-candle flicker to and fro as the wind rose and subsided. She had mainly been concerned for Raisa since she had been alone.

Due to the arrival of another, whom was being assigned to her paradigm this very night, Priya needed her small force divided. Ky's checkpoint was currently open and unguarded so Priya took the high road and watched over his checkpoint as well as hers. Still, she could not help but watch Raisa's position.

As Priya knew, Raisa could fend for herself especially against several enemies. This was proven when she watched Raisa's performance within the academy. Despite the knowledge of Raisa handling herself, she also knew that such strength could also lead to arrogance and arrogance leads to mistakes, and that mistakes lead to death.

Odin was uneasy standing this far back and away from the humans whom he had known. He had become anxious and refused to stay still. Humming to him and stoking his neck, the stallion eventually calmed down and resumed a more still posture. Priya had hopes that the newest addition would arrive soon because she disliked being spread so thin. Then again, Surina's forces were also divided since two from _Exodus_ had been sent in order to escort the addition from the main Grandallian checkpoint which was closer to the fortress city.

Parousia…

It was a land ruled by a young Emperor who loved not wine but fine dining. He had been a one-minded youth who sought control and felt that the spread of his influence was most important. A child must have attention when they do crave it after all. Though this child had not a parent to guide him so whatever he sought to accomplish, he did without another's consent. Sure, he had his counsel and his minister yet; they could never replace actual parents. In her mind, a misguided child would grow to be a child of misfortune and with that said, this child has grown with nothing but the utmost power and refused to loosen his grip upon the throat of that power.

This was none other than human nature. She recalled a conversation she had with Ada regarding human nature itself; though this was not the time to dwell on such matters.

Watching the moon as it was abducted before her eyes by clouds of a menacing obscurity; she looked to the land below her current position and heaved a light sigh.

"_Power, balance, control, and influence…without these, civilization would cease to exist let alone be capable of ever becoming civilization to begin with. The __e__mperor, he uses power to maintain his position of dominance over the people of his land. Even though it is what we as a people have come to know, even from our childhoods, is it the right thing to do to have one make the decisions which will affect many?"_

As she pondered this, a light sound caught her ears. She knew not what it be at first so upon instinct, Priya held her weapon at the ready while gripping the reigns with her free hand. She was relieved when it had only been the small bird which Raisa tended to. As it landed upon Odin's reigns, Priya squinted as she noticed a small object upon the bird's foot. With her left hand, she was able to untie the message and now she proceeded to open it with her left hand.

"I take it that she has grown bored and desires conversation,"

It would be something Raisa would do on such a night. As things have gone, there had been nothing to report.

"…now what say you Raisa…"

As her voice trailed, she squinted again as she tried to make the words out yet, due to the darkness she was unable to do so. Heaving a sigh, Priya knew she would have to wait for the moon to reveal itself once more. She had not a source of illumination with her for what she had she had already used for her original checkpoint as well as Ky's. Raisa would laugh in a situation such as this if it had been her. Priya knew this and a smile tugged at her lips.

"Odin…"

With his name called, the stallion began to gait. At this pace, Priya's braids had been bouncing with each strike of hoof to the ground while her weapon remained in a neutral position which was skyward. Progressing down from her perched position, she noticed that the crickets had not been sounding as they were when she had been about her perch; this proved to be far more suspicious when Priya reached the terrace which Raisa's checkpoint had been set upon.

As the stallion resumed the gait which he had originally begun; Odin was suddenly startled by a blinding light as was his rider, Priya. Panicking at the blinding light and the sudden booming noise which this light brought, Odin in his panicked state threw Priya from his back and immediately took off.

It had been a few moments and a couple of groans before she had even begun to move. After Priya had been thrown to the ground, the force of her fall had caused her to bounce and as she struck the ground for the second time, she lost grip of her weapon and now she barely moved.

_"That…__"_

Her mind had been the only thing which could do anything at the moment.

"…_W__as unpleasant…" _

Slowly dragging her arms to her sides, Priya placed her palms flat against the ground and slowly pushed herself upright into the front leaning rest. She now brought her knees to a bend underneath her stomach and with that done, she slowly adjusted her position so that she was in a kneeling position, Priya straightened herself and as she did, her back and her collarbone made popping noises.

Slowly getting to her feet, she caught sight of her weapon from her peripheral and began to move towards it. She quickly found herself down on one knee. Her back was throbbing in pain from being thrown from her horse yet as she thought of the flashing lights and the sounds she wondered what they were.

"_They must be of a firebomb…" _

As this thought crossed her mind, she reached and took hold of the shaft of her weapon and decided to use her weapon for support. Standing and using her weapon as a temporary crutch, Priya began to advance on towards Raisa's checkpoint.

_"A firebomb to be sent in my direction…"_

She then remembered that there had been more than one flash of light and booming noise.

_"…firebombs, I should say, that would mean I am being watched." _

Recalling her position from before she had been thrown from Odin, she looked the ground over. She could see where the explosions had taken their last seconds of life and also to her left and her right she could see where the _firebombs_ had struck the ground before they had exploded.

_"Indeed…I am being watched. In this current state, I am vulnerable if not be better than a beginning squire in combat."_

This was true, with the pain slowly surging from her back it would greatly hinder her movements. Fortunately at least her injuries were not fatal.

Pressing on, Priya looked to her surroundings and saw that she had been within a small wood. These trees were more than enough cover for anything and practically everything. The leaves had also begun to fall as well. Few were turning colors while the majority remained lush and filled with greenery.

"_Winter it is which shall soon be upon us."_

Priya had not a worry of this for she loved the winter months. She loved the falling snow as well as watching the children occasionally play outside amongst the snow and toss balls of snow at one another of it at each other. Although it was not done for long it was still good to see children about and enjoying themselves instead of being lifeless as most of them were forced to be.

Within Parousia as well as other areas surrounding it, children were often forbidden from speaking freely. That is unless they were spoken to directly and the speaker would have to be an adult usually. Most children would be present within a room and when Priya were to enter it and speak with whomever, she would be startled when the child or children came about or moved about within the room for she would not hear nor see them. Oddly though, parents were satisfied with this way of life instead of seeing children play and laugh, they wanted control and obedience.

_"Ada's theory of control and power doth be made into a plethora of points—though she__said this before."_

She had chuckled to herself rather weakly which gave away her dislike for the method of raising children as she continued on.

As time passed, she had continued on with her gallant spirit and used her weapon as a crutch less and less. Her injury was recovering quite quickly. Though as this was fact, Priya had not let it be known to whomever may be following her. She knew not how many belonged to this horde and she was not prepared to give them the knowledge that she had been recovering rather finely. Looking on ahead as she continued, Priya caught sight of an ominous light. Growing closer for sheer curiosity, she identified the light coming from what appeared to be a sad excuse of a fort.

The fort itself loomed in the distance yet Priya had been on near even ground with the structure. If she had gone around closer by Raisa's checkpoint she would be high above it due to the rolling hills and paths which led out of the country as well as to this very structure. There was not much doubt in her mind that Raisa had progressed down to this structure and there was not a doubt that Raisa had already engaged these Brigands.

As she leered from her distance she could see shadows moving to and fro through the thin tree line about the structure as well as the single individual which stood atop the structure. They simply stood there and then turned away and from this distance, she could not see where the individual had gone.

Looking to the structure itself once more, she could tell even from here that it was poorly protected yet it held a few bases and has obviously had several attempts to be fortified—though these attempts had obviously failed. Looking on to it, she recalled not of its structure. She had also not known by whom it had been constructed by.

There had been two units which patrolled this area before she had ever arrived. Those two units had gone missing and as Priya thought of that fact, she concluded that these Brigands were the reason behind the disappearances of the other two units and the fact that their bodies had not been recovered spelled disaster for the hopes of any of them being alive.

As she came to a complete halt, she noticed a small insignificant flag which jutted from the construct. Squinting and looking towards it she saw an orange base and an entirely different insignia from the Dragon which represented the Grandallian Empire.

As she tightened her grip around her weapon, Priya was enthralled by what she had come across yet, her mind was taken astray from what lie before her as the shadows seemed to literally run away from her. She looked to the moon and was once again greeted by its silver gleam. Unfolding the small message, Priya lifted her left hand upward and then looked to it without moving her body.

"_Priya,"_

The message began. Raisa rarely addressed her as Commander Priya simply because Priya herself disliked being addressed by her rank before she was recognized as an individual.

_"…this message was pre-written long before night__fall__ has and if you__ have__ this then you now know from this that there are complications. Not just that but in this particular message, the complications __are__ Brigands…"_

"You engaged them alone…?"

Priya did what she could to hide her worry, but to no avail, it was easily detected upon her voice.

"…_Mainly, by time you__ ha__ve received this I__ will__ already__ have__ engaged the forces which I find as a threat and the checkpoint__ will be__ abandoned in the same state it had been in the daylight hours so if anything is amiss, tread with caution."_

Priya's eyes had narrowed. She had specifically ordered Raisa not to break from her post for any reason due to how thinly her unit was spread and with this said it complicates things even more. Raisa refused to listen to orders and she had been acting rather idiotic for not following orders.

_"…p.s, it seems as if Surina needs to pull that rifle from her…"_

Priya balled the message and brought it to her mouth. Gripping it within her teeth, she then pulled away from her mouth, successfully tearing the note asunder. She refused to read anymore at that point which is why she tore it at that precise moment. She knew full well what Raisa had said and she need not see such profane messages.

She had now been slightly annoyed that Raisa had insulted her elder sister, yet most people had done that due to her attitude and to be honest, if Raisa had called Surina out in such a manner, she probably did deserve it and even General Girardot had told Priya that Surina's attitude would earn her few allies outside of battle.

Clearing her mind of things she need not dwell on at the moment, Priya looked upwards to the flag once more. From this distance and with the moon, she could see clearly that it belonged to another sect of sorts and by intents and purposes, they were her enemy.

"…_what on earth—?"_

As her incomplete thought echoed in her mind, she had now been silent. Priya had froze as a light rustling caught her ears. Taking a step forward, the rustling continued. She was not going to let whoever or whatever assume she had heard them for she knew that if she were going to be attacked, she could simply counter her opposition which was better than seeking them out or looking to her right since that is where the sound had originated.

Marching onward, the rustling soon stopped and this was what she had been listening for.

Whirling around, Priya brought her _Bladed Lance_ to a defensive position and successfully negated the oncoming blade. Looking to her opponent, she saw it had been a male. His attire was of a vest, boots, gloves, a shirt, pants and boots. All of it had been leather except for the cloth headband about his head.

As he pressured her by putting his weight into his blocked advance, Priya allowed his weight to crash forth while stepping to his left, this action made the male stumble and nearly fall to the ground. Smirking at this action the male turned to face her and then aimed his sword at her. After this, another rustling caught her ears and without looking, Priya leapt backwards using her weapon. Shifting her weight, Priya pushed herself to the opposing end of her weapon and balanced herself above not only the ground but her weapon as well.

As she balanced herself, she saw yet another opponent. This was a female with a small dagger and at her waist had been a _firebomb_. Dropping down from her perch, the female looked skyward just as Priya's foot met her face. The combined force of her strength, gravity, and Priya propelling herself downward, made her strike all the more powerful.

As she was sent reeling to the ground, the commander had touched back down onto the Earth and instantly twirled her weapon and negated the male's oncoming attack and without hesitation, delivered a quick knee to his stomach forcing him to nearly double over. With her opposing knee, she struck the male within his face. Both of them, now downed on the ground, struggled to get to their feet while Priya stood and waited for them to attack. She was never about charging her opponents after they seemed to be winded or dazed. That simply was not smart in her opinion.

Priya was about her defense and well-timed countermeasure strikes and simply rushing at her struggling opponents was not the brightest of ideas. Let alone the fact that by her charging them they could counter her, and they were not being cautious about injuries as she had been. This was how she fought and she believed that this style of combat was more profiting than mindlessly attacking your opponent several times with brute force.

Spitting a mixture of blood and dirt from her mouth, the female, clad in a bustier, long gloves, leggings and boots, which had all been of leather, looked up towards the female which had knocked her to the ground. As she grunted, she slowly got to her feet, firmly gripping her dagger in her right hand.

"…she's making this far more difficult…than it need be…"

The male was downed upon one knee as he looked to Priya. His sword was now within his left hand and his right hand had been holding his left side.

"It…doesn't matter,"

He replied to his companion while wheezing.

"…we've a mission and…we aren't going to be deterred here…by this wench!"

Immediately, the male lunged for Priya. His speed was rather impressive for his size, yet he was blindly charging her which was one thing Priya would never do in combat. As he drew within range, he leapt in the air with his blade overhead. Priya instantly knew he was plotting on placing weight into this upcoming attack and also by earthly nature, what goes up, must come down.

Reacting far quicker than he anticipated, Priya rotated her weapon as his weapon came down upon her. With a loud and nearly ear shattering piercing sound of steel impacting one another, the male was enthralled that his attack had been negated, yet as he stared, he felt the tension and pain slowly festering from his right forearm into the rest of his body.

With a howl of pain coming from him, it sounded almost inhuman. The _Bladed Lance_, holds two sickle-esque blades upon each end and these blades had deflected his attack yet as he came to the ground, one of these sickles had been plunged into the back of his wrist and it had also jutted forth from his forearm.

Priya then kicked the male in his stomach while jerking and tearing her weapon from his limb. Her armor, the purest of white was now sullied with his blood as were droplets of blood upon her face and within her long deep brown hair.

She had again, stood with her weapon at rest and shifted her gaze from the male whom had now been soaked in his own blood and writhing about the ground; she directed her attention to the female clad in leather. Her hair was dark and cut short. She was slightly taller than Priya yet she had more weight to her.

Looking to her dagger and then to her _firebomb_, Priya knew that these were the two which had attacked her and she also knew that these two more than likely had more to the horde which has yet to reveal themselves.

"What achievement be it that you hold within your eye?"

The female did not respond. She simply stared the commander down while her companion continued to writhe within the cesspool of bloodied earth. His screams had now turned into low and almost inaudible groans as he now lie upon his left side attempting to cradle his mutilated forearm.

"I ask you again, what be your intentions?"

Her tone had not changed from a state of intense caution. Her voice had been light as it fell upon the ears yet it had maturity despite her obvious youth.

"I needn't give anything of you to know…"

As she turned her body to her side, she aimed her dagger at Priya.

"…the dead need not know such things for their graves are the only true thing they should ever learn."

Priya was no fool. Seeing this posture done, the female's _firebomb_ was now completely out of sight. Yet, she was tricked for she anticipated the wrong attack. The female, as Priya had anticipated, hurled the _firebomb_ at her yet, instead of throwing directly at her, she threw it to the ground a few feet in front of her. Priya's eyes were focused on that so intensely that she did not see the female rapidly approaching her.

Taking and evasive maneuver, Priya hopped and kicked herself off her weapon which effectively propelled her above her opponent yet this female was prepared for such tact. Twisting around, the female hurled two small daggers at the commander while she was airborne, yet with Priya's armor, the daggers were little to no threat.

As she landed upon the ground, the female charged her yet again and this time Priya would not evade, she would counter her opponent, yet as she expected the attack to come, the female quickly found her way unto Priya's left side. Such tact forced Priya to close distance to her main weapon, yet, as she closed that distance, the female had managed to pierce Priya's chainmail.

The dagger was driven into her garment of mail before she could react to the incoming attack; additionally, with this attack, it was now obvious that this female fought by disabling her opponents. Even though this dagger made small penetration close to her in-between her forearm and upper arm, the pain was still very much there. Seeing that there was not wise to have separated from her _Bladed Lance_, Priya changed tactics. Using the pain and this position to her advantage, Priya purposely stumbled backward and allowed herself to fall all the while as this occurred, the female was forcefully dragged down and fell upon Priya.

As she did, a sudden bolt of pain entered her from in-between her ribcage. She had attempted to scream yet, she was unable to do so. Grinding her teeth, Priya gripped the female's clothing and quickly shifted her body. As she shifted, her feet were now planted against the female's stomach and with hastened force; Priya launched the female over her head and in the air only for her to slam against the ground.

Hearing the female slam against the dirt ground, Priya lie on the ground as she held her dagger within her right hand and took in slow breaths. She was in a small state of shock due to the rush of combat simply because this had been her first night which she had been assigned to duty and also the first time she had been engaged in true combat.

After a short time lying on the bloody ground, Priya slowly got to her feet. She was clenching her left hand into a fist and unclenched it repeatedly for a few seconds so that her hand would not go numb. As she did this, she looked from her petite hand to her bleeding forearm. The wound was not serious and with her mail, as strong as it was, she was more than protected against such a small weapon. Sheathing her dagger, she made her way to the planted _Bladed Lance_ and as she retrieved her main weapon, Priya looked to the male whom she had delivered a fatal wound to and saw that he was no longer making noise let alone moving.

"_By now he has bled his last."_

It was an accurate guess since he had been lying so still in the middle of a bloody puddle. Looking to the female, Priya's eyes opened just a bit wider as she saw the female glaring at her.

"Be not foolish to continue this confrontation—"

Before Priya could finish the female spat blood from her mouth and instead of giving up and accepting her fate, she pushed herself off the ground and took hold of her dagger within her right hand. She was not prepared to give into such words.

_"Be not a fool…please…" _

These were the commander's thoughts. She did not want to be forced to end her life yet she knew that she more than likely may not have the choice.

She chose to charge again; Priya released an inward sigh of sadness due to the choice of her opponent. Priya would now have not a choice in this matter for if she rose from such an injury once, then she will more than likely rise yet again and would continue to rise until she had truly been defeated and killed. As she closed the distance, Priya watched her movements. The female's posture was completely hunched forward, perhaps to minimize the pain from her wound.

If this was the case then Priya had an advantage. Most of her attacks if not all would be to where she would not twist her body which means all of her attacks would be coming directly at her; yet, as she recalled, she was already wrong once and without proper actions, Priya would have died moments ago.

The female clad in leather, rapidly approached her all while Priya watched her right shoulder, as it made an arching motion; Priya assumed that this female's next attack would be that of the vertical class. As the female drew within close range, she in fact proved Priya to be correct and attempted to perform a vertical attack. Her motion was where her right arm and drew backwards and she had flipped her dagger within her hand as she arched her arm. She was going for a downward impale.

As the female launched her downward strike, Priya twisted her body so that the offending female was to her immediate right and as her enemy span backwards with her arm being at the level of her neck, Priya swayed under her dagger. She then pivoted once more and with her _Bladed Lance_, Priya included her weight within her thrust which added to the overall strength of her attack.

Before she had even realized it, her face, breastplate, feet, and her hands were covered with the female's blood. Her weapon had plowed cleanly through her. Blood poured from the woman's side as if it were water flowing over the falls. Ripping her weapon from her body, Priya made a small bit of distance from her opponent and as she did this, the female placed her free hand to the torn flaps of bloodied flesh and sullied leather to apply pressure to her wound in hopes of slowing the bleeding but it was of no use.

This, she would not survive and she knew this all too well. As her body had begun to fail on her, she dropped to one knee while still gripping her dagger.

"…Damn…you…"

Was what Priya heard. The female's breathing had been haggard and blood had continuously poured from her mouth.

"…This conflict could have been avoided…all you had to do, was surrender."

The female chuckled as Priya said the latter to her.

"I make not a jest, murder is—"

"The way of life…"

Priya fell silent as this was said.

"…You have to kill in order to have what you want…whether it be animals or people…we all have the urge to kill…"

She hesitated in speech as she regurgitated blood from her mouth.

"Heh…we just don't want to acknowledge it…"

She now looked up to Priya. One end of her weapon had been drenched in blood while the other knew not the likes of flesh and blood. Priya wore impressive armor.

"What say you…of a wager Commander?"

Priya looked to the female and then from her peripheral, she looked to the male who had in no doubt in her mind expired. Returning her focus to the female, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"What wager be it you speak of?"

The female laughed as she hunched herself over.

"…in few days time, you shall see the crimson gate of Hell and be brought to its gates shall be…your country itself…"

The female now wheezed as she spoke.

"…and in that instant…Parousia shall be broken…"

Her voice trailed as she fell forward into a slumped position upon the ground. As she slumped down, her blood was pushed ever so gently closer to Priya—who took a retreating step away from her.

"_It be madness she speaks of…yet…if it be not madness then—"_

Priya's thought was cut short by gunfire. From the direction of the originating sound, she knew it had to have been Raisa, for the direction which the sound had come from had been in the direction of Raisa's checkpoint. Looking to her two deceased opponents, Priya could do nothing for them now, so without any further hesitation and without Odin, Priya set forth towards Raisa's checkpoint.

* * *

><p>Skidding to a halt, the male surveyed his surroundings. As he recalled, due to being stretched thin, his commanding officer, Priya, was atop a hill overlooking the area which her paradigm had occupied. Yet, looking to her position, he saw nothing at this point; he searched about the immediate area. As he looked to the ground, he inched closer and knelt down beside tracks. He studied them over and saw that they were in fact the tracks of a horse.<p>

"Something's gone wrong…"

Getting to his feet, he looked to his six and found his ally just arriving behind him. As he hunched over and drew in deep breaths, he pointed to his superior and tried to speak but could not do so.

"…Commander Priya's not there."

Pointing to her position of where she had once been, the exhausted male slowly rose and coughed a few times.

"Meiga, we've got to move and quick—"

He was cut off as Meiga began to hack a gloppy substance from his mouth. As he spit this glop to the dirt the male known as Meiga nodded.

"Let's g….get…going…"

He was exhausted. Meiga was barely able to keep up with his superior and the armored long coat he wore did him no favors. As they pressed on, his superior continued to run on with Meiga trailing further and further behind.

He was driven, that much was obvious and as the story was told to Meiga a few short moments ago, it seemed that he had grown a bit close to the female known as Raisa. Meiga had his own thoughts about the situation which his superior, Kusanagi Ky, had been in. It seemed not only a _dirt method_ but also something that was blackmail.

Coming to a stop, he saw Ky cease and looking down to the lower plains. As he looked off to the same direction, Meiga seemed rather lost for words.

"…Is that…a stallion?"

With this question Ky slowly nodded. Reading the expression upon his face, Meiga could tell that seeing just this horse without its rider was not a good sign.

"Commander Priya's stallion, Odin…"

With this said, Meiga could feel Ky's worry slowly growing. Not to mention the fact that his shy and even timid nature was practically cast aside as the situation seemed to appear grim.

"Come…I'm sure we'll find her…"

As he slowly began to march on, Ky then began to follow. Meiga did what he could to hold his own, yet after this night, he would never wear this mail again.

"Just…keep calm Kusanagi; she is our commanding officer so I'm sure…she'll be just fine."

Ky nodded only once as they continued on and seeing that Meiga was trying his best to keep hold of his breath, Ky refrained from rushing off for the time being.

"Should we attempt to…tame and bring Odin with us?"

Ky shook his head.

"He's familiar with me but refuses quite often and since he does not know you, Odin will kick you in your face…"

Meiga narrowed his eyes as he watched the stallion roam about. The two of them went in the opposing direction of the stallion and pressed on towards what Kusanagi claimed to be Raisa's checkpoint.

* * *

><p>Blood trailed behind nearly every step she took yet; she cared not for such a menial wound. It was her duty to ensure that her paradigm, that <em>Gungnir<em> itself was not destroyed in any way. As she trekked on, she was nearly at the checkpoint which Raisa was guarding and the closer Priya had gotten to the checkpoint, the more anxious she had been getting.

Her mind had slowly begun to wrap itself around the possibility that Raisa may have met her end and that the individuals which had confronted Priya had much more in force against Raisa. This was a fear of hers despite Raisa's skill in combat.

As Priya came around the bin, she looked to the sky and wished the clouds would have parted.

"A Shame…"

With those words spoken Priya immediately turned from whence she had came and then looked to her surroundings. She had been trekking in-between the wood and with this coverage of vegetation, anything could be lurking within the shadows or the trees themselves.

"…such a shame…"

His voice echoed around her and it was difficult to pin where exactly the voice had been originating from.

"Show yourself Brigand."

"Well, I take it that your filth of a love letter from the other of such despicable work has given us away? And here I thought it to be slop which a country of whores and the deaths of unborn children can do nothing more than produce as its people are of the same nature?"

Although the moon provided light, she could not see much of anything unless she had been a few feet from it and as the voice echoed around her, she knew not where the location of her next opponent was.

"Reveal yourself Brigand,"

She demanded for the second time.

"There is not much hope for you to taunt me by your un-alluring followers!"

At her words, the hidden man laughed. He found her to be a joke, nothing that could at all defeat him in combat as he has more than likely been silent as Priya had engaged her other opponents.

"I take no orders from you, you military dog."

His voice was a mixture of humor and callousness.

"Best you are is one whom will lie down for us all woman."

Priya slowly continued on and before she spoke again, she had reached the beaten path of the area. She had studied the overlay of this area for days and knew where every path lead and where she could go to cut through in case of an emergency.

"…Conceal yourself as you may, you will not win, even trickery cannot aid you."

Again, the man laughed.

"Foolish,"

He started.

"You actually think you can defeat me? You can barely handle yourself with your own weapon!"

This proved that he had indeed observed Priya as she fought her previous opponents and killed them both.

"Show yourself, and it is then that we shall soon see who cannot handle their weapon. Unless,"

She paused as she looked to the ground and with her free hand, brushed one of her braids back behind her head. Looking upwards, a smirk kissed the lips of the commander.

"…you,"

She began as she pointed her weapon to where she believed he had been hiding.

"…you who hide, are afraid of a woman?"

Almost instantaneously, the man leapt from the trees above her position, and as he landed, Priya quickly observed her opponent.

"You will regret insulting me, you whore!"

"_A dagger__…__"_

She thought as she watched him brandish his weapon.

With this realization, Priya prepared herself. As the man lunged for her, Priya slammed the _Bladed Lance_ towards the ground and with the combination of strength and the distribution of her weight; Priya pushed herself off the ground and successfully landed behind the male Brigand.

"What?"

She heard him mutter this as he stared in amazement. As she turned around she saw the man with a small object in his hand.

"Since you like jumping around so much,"

He began as he looked over his shoulder to the commander.

"…we'll see if you can dodge this!"

Without hesitation, the man hurled the circular object at Priya yet, although she was unable to tell what it had been, instinct took over and Priya did nothing more than use the shaft of her weapon and managed to knock the object not back at him, but directly into the vegetation and by the loud _thunk_ sound it had made, it had either struck a tree or quite possibly had become wedged someplace within one.

Realizing he had missed, the male quickly made distance and held his dagger in a state of defense. Priya merely watched him while paying attention to her surroundings. She watched the male as he took a step towards her yet as he did, an explosion, much larger than the other _firebombs_ not only caused Priya to shield the ear she could but also lower herself to the ground. The male used this to his advantage and fled.

As the ringing ceased, Priya collected herself and stood. Yet a new threat was now before her and as she looked around her, she could see little to nothing. The ground, the moon, and the tops of few trees had been all she could see. This was due to her being surrounded in a field of smoke. She knew this had been a ploy of the Brigand and that he could attack her from anywhere. This was not good on any scale.

"So the naive whore can defend herself? It still will be of no point…"

He spoke with arrogance yet his uncertainty was easily detectable within his voice. As she looked about the smoke cloud which encircled her, she held a face of utter seriousness as she surveyed her limited field of vision.

"Run you shall, it is all you can ever muster…"

Looking around her, she dare not be idle in one position for too long. More than likely, he could probably see her from the trees above.

_"That is it…"_

With this realization, Priya immediately called him out again.

"I do suppose all that for which was said is not lively upon the tongue? Perhaps…you enjoy running from women as we are much more the need to the earth as you are."

"…what did you say?"

"You are better dead…there is no use for you and even a woman can see that you are nothing…writhing about as if you truly mean something…you are…insignificant—"

Priya had barely gotten the last word from her mouth before the Brigand leapt from above with a cry as loud as a mother birth a child.

Priya evaded his strike and as his dagger dove into the ground, she leapt backward and as he looked up, Priya delivered a devastating fan kick. As her heel collided against his face, he was sent reeling onto his back. Quickly rolling off his back and into a kneeling position, he gripped his chin with his left hand and then he placed the other just behind him. His hand had been upon a second _firebomb_ and without his dagger, he was without a weapon.

As she returned to a neutral stance, she looked and the gleam of the dagger caught her eyes. Priya knew what may happen. He would either dive for his weapon or quite possibly a diversion may be used. She knew not which he would use but tactics such as these she knew all too well.

Priya was barely able to see her opponent and the moon had been her only ally at the moment for it revealed that he had lost his weapon.

"…well it seems—"

The male ceased his words after a second shot pierced the silence of the night. It was then at the moment he turned from Priya and ran into the darkness of the vegetation. As he did this, Priya herself turned to the direction where the sound had originated and sprinted.

She fled from the area because she knew that more than likely, her opponent would be heading towards the same destination. Even more so had been the fact that it was a high chance that Raisa had fired that shot. Leaving the smoke-ridden area behind her, she continued on through the wood so that she could be re-united with her ally.

* * *

><p>Her eyes, a beautiful green, watched the vegetation which had been in front of her. She could not only feel this presence but another which had been about her as well. Raisa was unsure of which had been the more significant the threat yet, what she was focused on now had been the fact that she was outnumbered which was not the problem, yet she knew not where her enemies were, which was a problem.<p>

As the shadows of the night waltzed about the land, she found not a thing to be of motion. Shadows danced due to the fire which she had started and by now, she could only assume _Relic_ and _Exodus_ are now aware of the dire situation since she set the structure ablaze as a marker for where both squadrons need to rendezvous.

The fire, a few feet from her had voraciously consumed more than half of the stronghold itself and if there had been anyone inside then they were as good as dead.

Unsheathing her blade only partially, Raisa looked down to the blade and within its reflection, she saw herself just as if she had been looking into a mirror. Flames she could see waltzing within the reflection as well yet, as she looked closer…

"_Dammit…"_

Sheathing her beloved weapon, Raisa withdrew the Shéng Biāo from her weapon and ensnared the assailant. His weapon was a dagger, a rather unique one at that. It reminded Raisa of an ax and its center held that of a skull.

"Hm…rather curious of a weapon such as THAT to be of use…"

As this was said, Raisa stared down her next opponent. He wore no armor and was fairly muscular. He looked the type of a beggar or thief.

"Ah…but of course, you must be Raisa; if that is case, then it is only natural that such a weapon be…"

He looked over the _Shéng Biāo_ and how it had been connected to _Sapphire_ as he spoke.

"…of such enthralling use to such a dysfunctional cretin."

It was not a second to pass that Raisa jerked the chain downwards which by doing so, this forced the male to lose his balance and fall forth down towards her. This was planned but also expected. As he fell, Raisa had attempted to slice into this new foe, yet, he evaded her. In the very manner of a snake, he slithered through the air and evaded her blade while freeing himself in the very same process.

"Too slow I'm afraid…"

Her _Shéng Biāo_ hit the ground as his chillingly calm voice entered her ears. In addition to that, he had made distance between them. Despite his escape act, she knew what had been coming next. The male charged her. Raisa, flipping backwards, span as she was airborne and with this tactic, the _Shéng Biāo_ and her blade, Sapphire, acted as a rotating blossom would within the river. Her blade and _Shéng Biāo_ seemed to dance within the moon's light by the way they had been reflecting its silver gleam. As she landed, she quickly concealed the _Shéng Biāo_ and then took eye to the male before her.

"…impressive…I suppose…"

His clothing had been slashed and torn in several areas but none of them leaked a drop of blood; while she could feel tenseness about her right shoulder blade.

Neither of them said a word as the stronghold had begun to collapse from the raging flames which Raisa herself had started. The male merely looked to the burning heap and sigh in boredom.

"…say, I do enjoy how you have wrecked the very starting of the forward operations. It was somewhat promising...despite the fools that have taken such horrendous care of it."

He looked to Raisa as she wiped something from her face. Though as he could see, there was nothing for her to wipe—the male realized that she had been signaling for him to take his hand to his own cheek.

At that moment, the male put two fingers to his right cheek and felt a tinge of pain. Pulling his fingers away and looking at them, he saw his own blood. His mouth opened in amazement while Raisa herself could feel the slash about her right shoulder beginning to regurgitate blood.

"…The night shan't be as boring as it has been…wouldn't you agree?"

Raisa easily picked up on the venom within his voice and she, herself, did nothing more than return a sadistically grin.

"Hmph…"

The male tossed his dagger just above his left hand and caught it within his right.

"…it's time you disappeared…"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter II End<strong>

_End Notes:_

Priya is the Commanding Officer of the paradigm _Gungnir_. She is not as serious the individual as her elder sister Surina, yet, she can be serious when she need be. She dislikes having to kill her opposition yet, if she has not a choice she will not bring much hesitation before her opposition.

Priya is extremely nervous about sexual behavior and would rather not discuss certain things with certain people.

Gungnir: Is the name of Odin's spear. Norse mythology is where the name of Priya's weapon, paradigm (unit), and the name of her stallion originate.


	4. Act: I Chapter: III

**Act: I**

**Chapter****:**** III**

* * *

><p>"Ooh, disappear? A filth-ridden magician I take it you be? Disappearing would be an act for children to stare in awe and beg for another trick…"<p>

Raisa cocked her arm back and after brandishing her weapon, she then aimed her arm forth and pointed her blade at him.

"…I do hope you prove to be entertainment…boy."

It took not much to insult anyone if it were done properly. This male before her prides himself on his tactics and plotting. Ultimately, he was fairly intelligent. Though, his greatest downfalls were to either be: ignored, defamed, or belittled; and Raisa had just done two of those three things with the singular word _boy_.

As she expected, he lunged for her, just much faster than she had anticipated. Bringing her blade upwards to defend herself, she took a retreating step as her opposition feinted to her left and then to her right. The male swayed downward and once again, charged forth in an attempt to tackle her. She leapt over him and evaded with ease yet, as she looked to him her eyes were not keeping up with her.

"…_Damn him for__ using the elements…"_

Her green eyes were lost to his location as she looked to the darkness for as she watched him feint to her right; his shadow was all she could see as the brilliant flames behind him concealed his features. Now her vision had gone dark with the exception of a few feet around her. Keeping an eye to the flames she used this as a recovery tactic. One eye had been faced with darkness while the other had been bathed in light. In doing so, Raisa caught sight of him before he drew in too close and she parried his dagger; yet, due to her temporary blindness she failed to see the small circular object he had forced against her ribs.

Kicking off her chest, Raisa stumbled backward with the object dropping down directly in front of her. Without hesitation she leapt backwards and shielded her face. The inevitable blast was her signal to immediately move yet again; though not away from the thick and black smoke from the gun-powdered bomb, but towards it. With her eyes open she was able to see him rushing towards her from the other side due to the flames right beside them and it was at the last moment which he evaded her and feinted right.

As the male stumbled before he fell to one knee, Raisa herself gripped her right side. They had cut each other. Due to his serrated dagger, the wounds which he had given her had a bit more impact that her own did upon his flesh.

"Well…I underestimated you…"

Raisa smirked as this entered her ears.

"Though you are not my keeper…"

Without hesitation, he ran for the burning stronghold and as he leapt through the fire and flames, Raisa was right behind him. Rushing through the falling debris she could see scraps of his overcoat beginning to burn as he evaded debris and leapt over corpses. Raisa was no different. The tails of her long velvet jacket had begun to catch fire as they were exposed to the flames of this fire, however, that would not last long.

Raisa's feet were also suffering from this heat due to what she had been wearing. They were greaves which were attached to straw sandals. As she continued on in pursuit she could feel the flames licking at her heels with each step she took.

Her attention was heightened as she saw the male with reddish brown hair leap through a glassless window and as she drew near, she too leapt through it. Landing a few feet from the edge of a drop, she looked about for her opponent yet she did not see him. Instinctively, Raisa distanced herself from the ravine's edge and as she did, she caught sight of a gleam of light appearing and vanishing across the dark grass. Raisa dove to her left yet did not escape injury.

Getting to her feet, she saw him charging yet again. The Brigand drew within her trajectory and when he attacked her, Raisa evaded by swaying under his dagger and catching his arm and leg within her _Shéng Biāo_. As he struggled, she withdrew a dagger from her sheath and stabbed him several times within his left side; though she did not escape without being stabbed in her right shoulder, forearm, and her right side. Breaking the string of blows and blood, she was head-butted by her opponent and as she stumbled backward she fell down to one knee.

"Fuck…"

Although she had mumbled this, this was one word she used more than any other. Raisa could see her blood tarnishing the deep shade of green beneath her and as the wind picked up, her blood freely fell and splattered across the grass around her as if to paint the land with her blood.

"Ha, ha, ha... much it is I have underestimated you…"

Standing, and nearly limping, the Brigand held his dagger within his right hand and also held his side. He was cradling his side with his forearm; not to mention, he was bleeding—practically profusely. His blood had darkened the lower half of his overcoat as well as his leggings. His left boot which had been married with strings had been completely darkened. Within the night, it looked as if he wore one black boot and one brown.

What Raisa was truly concerned with was that this Brigand held not a strain of pain within his voice. It then dawned on her that it could be the possibility that her opponent loved such sport—whether he dies in the process or not. Yet, she doubted he would allow himself to die; at least not easily.

She gnashed her teeth in pain as she used her bare blade to support herself. As she watched her opponent, her right arm was out of his sight and her hand was slowly pulling _Vindicate_ from its holster. Her sheath had been a few feet from her and if she had not utilized a dagger, she still would have had hold of it.

"…Though, I do also think, I've the upper hand."

It was from behind his back that he unveiled what he had been concealing from her. All she could do was give a small smile which eventually evolved into a sadistic grin.

"…You learned to use your hands for more than a single purpose?"

Despite her humor, Raisa was staring down the sights of her wheel-locking revolver _Heartless_. He had stripped Raisa of one of her firearms when they were entangled more than likely.

"Humph, alas, I have. Though you were prepared to fire upon me yourself were you not?"

Raisa chuckled at the fact that he had been correct yet, he was no fool. Raisa had more than one option and he knew that as well as she did. She could use her _Shéng Biāo_ once more which would enthrall him and possibly clinch their battle in her favor.

Yet, he chose a different approach which would allow him to survive—albeit barely.

"Ha, that alone proves it my dear."

The male then allowed the revolver to sling forth and hang to where he had been holding it by the trigger well with nothing more than an index finger.

"If I were to continue this, I could possibly die…and since I know you will not let your beloved weapon come to harm yet, not allow yourself to be harmed by it…"

She said not a word as she waited for the opportune moment to enthrall her opposition.

"It has been fun, Russian; though I've no intention in dying here…"

The male tossed her revolver to her and as she caught the weapon, she rotated her body so that she could aim and shoot him with the other, however…

He had leapt.

Painfully getting back onto her feet, Raisa moved to the edge of the ravine and aimed her firearms downward only to see him vanish amongst the fog which lurked about the ravine's bottom. Growling at her missed chance, Raisa holstered her revolvers and began to advance towards her blade. It was with her fourth step which she had nearly fallen.

Looking to her left thigh, the injury which she had received was rather great in depth. Non-fatal but it nonetheless hindered her. Balling her fist and punching the cold Earth beneath her, she cursed her fortune for not leaping towards the side and firing. Though, he might have already anticipated that action.

"…lucky bastard…" Those were her only words as she got to her feet once more and took hold of _Sapphire_ by the tsuka.

That was the end of the battle for her yet, as she predicted, much more would come to pass which all would have to suffer for.

Taking up her beloved weapon and its sheath, Raisa had nearly forgotten to reclaim the dagger which she had used. Slowly turning back towards the ravine, she was able to spot her dagger with ease. The dagger had been reflecting the moon's light. As she made her way towards her dagger, she slowly her pace just by a second; she may be injured, but she was no fool.

"_Another one…"_

She not only felt the hidden individual's presence, but she had also heard them. They must have thought that with the flames raging behind her that she would blow off the noise he had been making. Either that or they were not experienced with stealth. It mattered none, she had options for such strategies.

Standing above her dagger, Raisa slowly knelt down and reached out for her weapon. Yet as she placed a hand upon its grip, it was at that very same moment that an explosion had sent her reeling face first into the ground by sheer impact.

"For fuck's…sake…"

Her voice had been muffled as she said those words. Not only that, she had also suffered a slight daze. As she attempted to push herself upward, she brought her knee to her chest and used her arms in an attempt to push herself upwards. It had been a few seconds before she got herself into a kneeling position and when she did, she realized that she had now been facing the burning stronghold.

Getting to her feet had been a chore. She still suffered from her daze yet she continued to walk; just fairly slowly. As she slowly progressed, something caught her eye. Changing course and moving to her right, she came upon a small object. It had been a dagger. It was damaged though; from the explosion she assumed.

Examining the area, she discovered a body. Despite it being charred and still burning, she was able to identify it as a male corpse. The dagger belonged to him more than likely and as she looked to his swarthy flesh, she could see that he had already been wounded before the explosion.

"_Thieves do die in the worst ways…"_

With her grim joke said, Raisa continued on. She would wander through the vegetation and regroup with Priya. By the wound he had received, Raisa knew that he had come across Priya earlier in the night. That was probably the reason as to why he could not stay as silent as he wanted. Either way, it mattered none at this point. She simply needed to continue moving forward.

* * *

><p>"It's just a bit further!"<p>

The two were crossing a small brush as he shouted this to Meiga. Meiga in turn had been struggling to keep up with his ally. Ky was light on his feet as well as agile and nimble. He was better built for such trekking while Meiga wore a heavy coat which the inner was lined with mail. This coat itself was far more a burden than he had realized yet he had endured it this long, so to his mind he believed that he could go the rest of the night in this state.

Skidding down a dirt hill, Ky, quickly reached the bottom and as he did, he surveyed the area. After doing so, Meiga made his way down and as soon as he touched the ground, Ky began to move. He was determined to lend his aid to Raisa for if it were not for her; he more than likely never would have survived being imprisoned within Parousia's dungeon.

"You…surely d-do move fast…"

Meiga had been gasping for air as Ky slowed his pace and eventually ceased to move. Spinning upon a heel, he looked at Meiga and took a few steps towards him yet as he did something caught his eye. It was a flash of white light which he thought was a reflection of the moon and was about to write it off as nothing; though that was until Meiga's face changed from that of exasperation to panic.

Whirling around in within that instant, Ky immediately drew his weapon in state of defense. His weapon was a blade. Not just any blade but a wakizashi. This auxiliary weapon was rather short yet formidable against most weapons he had ever saw let alone forged. Though his opponent was using a European weapon; a rapier it looked to be, it mattered none.

Despite the advantage that this attacker had, by using the darkness and shadows of the vegetation to his advantage, he was able to get close enough to Ky yet, he was unable to execute a successful assassination. This was more so thanks to Meiga's expression as well Ky's reflexes.

As Ky was locked in a stalemate with this male, Ky allowed himself to be overpowered in order to make distance between his foe. As the male stumbled forth, Ky placed a foot upon the male's knee and then pushed himself upward only to use his other leg to kick him in the chest and to follow up with that he kicked him yet again with his left foot which put a more comfortable distance in-between the two of them.

The male staggered only for a few seconds yet; instead of charging him he was more concerned with his bleeding mouth. Ky then took a step backward and immediately after that, he leapt into the air; slightly balling his body into a sphere as he did this. As he pulled this maneuver within the air, he was upside down when he witnessed Meiga charged the individual which Ky had kicked away.

Not a second later, he landed on the ground with his weapon in front of him in a state of defense yet again. This was yet another opponent whom had attempted to take his life and Ky used an evasive maneuver to save his own skin.

"Heh, whaddya know…we've a fuckin' monkey on our hands."

After this was said, a clash of steel echoed within the night. Ky looked to Meiga and said that he had been engaged in combat with the first male that Ky had kicked away. Meiga used a standard katana. The weapon was named _Shiranui_. A decent name for a weapon seeing as it meant _Death Rain_.

"Monkey or not…don't underestimate him Brecken!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

No hesitation was taken after Brecken had said those words. Before Ky could blink, Brecken was in his face. His weapons were a dagger and a short sword. As the longer blade clashed against his wakizashi, Ky saw the dagger glistening in the moonlight and instinctively he span away from his opponent. This caused Brecken to stagger forward but this stopped him none. Stepping into his own stagger, he pivoted and then with both blades in one hand, Brecken brought both his weapons down upon Ky's sword which by the overflow of strength, Ky was brought down to one knee by sheer impact.

Meiga was held in a stalemate after a stalemate. Each attack he launched upon his opponent was negated and his opponent would bring about a flurry of attacks which Meiga parried or blocked. Every time it was the same result with them.

Ky was doing far worse. So far it seemed no matter how much he evaded. This male, Brecken, was keeping up with him. Bailing to his right, Ky rolled onto his feet only to be meet by Brecken once again. Ky swayed under the dagger and hopped over the short sword and successfully propelled himself away from his opponent yet again. This time, Ky made sure to plant both his greave covered feet within Brecken's face and after the impact, Brecken was thrown to the ground. After a few seconds of Ky seeing him not move, Meiga was able to cut into his opponent's armor and also through it.

He watched as Meiga's opponent fell upon one knee cursing his timing. Distancing himself from Brecken, Ky took a few steps towards Meiga until that scent caught his nose. As the moon was blanketed by the dark clouds above, he looked to his left. The slow breeze had carried the scent to his nostrils and it was this same scent which forced him to stop. It was gun powder which made him pause.

While Ky had been frozen in place, Meiga stood a few meters from his opponent. Blade at the ready, he watched the male as he held his wound with his sword arm. Since he used a rapier, Meiga knew that once that arm was rendered useless or was preoccupied, the threat was vastly reduced. Sheathing his weapon, Meiga was not at all enthralled when he was asked his name.

"Sahashi Meiga."

"Heh…Japanese…seems Grandall's bringing everyone that…that they can in."

"Apparently so, but you've asked my name, what about yours, friend?"

"I'm no friend of yo-"

His words were interrupted by his regurgitation of blood which was after he had gagged for a few seconds. Ky could hear the pitter and patter of what the male had spewed from his body and it took not a genius to know that it was blood which was coming from his mouth.

"B-bastard…"

The wind had died down as that word of utter profanity was spoken. At that very moment, the moon was once again unveiled and that was not the only thing which was unveiled either. Ky stared at the female whom held a weapon pointed down to him while he, aimed his own at her. It was when he had cocked his firearm that Meiga took notice to this new scenario.

_"…a rifle…"_

This was true. She had been aiming a rifle at Ky while Ky had a revolver aimed at her. Seconds had passed as they each stood staring each other down. She, atop a small hill which Raisa had laid down upon earlier while Ky stood on leveled ground. Her hair had been dark and her eyes a deep brown. This female stood firm and she did not blink.

"Sara…stop stalling…a…and shoot him!"

Meiga, whom had drawn closer to the downed male, kicked him to the ground as he attempted to get to his feet. Meiga had done this simply because the man had taken up his weapon in the opposing hand. It appeared that in this case, Meiga would have to exercise greater caution. Yet, from the force of Meiga's kick, it had been enough for the male to release his weapon as he crashed against the dirt ground. Looking at the male via his peripheral, Ky focused his eyes upon her again.

"Sara was it?"

He began while adjusting his grip upon his firearm.

"We don't have to do this."

Meiga looked to Ky in a confused fashion for he understood not his words. As he watched Ky, he noticed that the Brigand beneath him had begun to stir yet again and to follow this, he spit more blood from his mouth.

"We don't need to needlessly kill each other over this…we can just walk away."

"Y-you self-righteous fool…do you think we will listen to such…such FOOLISHNESS!?"

Meiga stomped his foot down on the male's chest. This time and it was a pained groan which echoed within the night.

Silence hung over them as she slowly lifted her head from her rifle and as she did she slowly opened her mouth. Ky thought she was about to agree with him yet, he would never know. An explosion had shaken the silence of the still night and the flames from it had painted the sky a mixture of dark crimson, purple and orange. It was a second after that which she lowered her weapon to stare at the flames behind her.

"T-the stronghold…"

The downed male muttered.

"I know."

After she lifelessly responded to her comrade, Sara turned to face them. Yet she took up her sights once more and aimed for Meiga. In shock of the realization, he had tensed himself preparing for the worst possible outcome. While Ky aimed yet again for Sara.

"I'd move back if I were you, soldier of Grandall."

With her words as calm as the flowing river, Meiga looked at her and slowly took a step back while Ky slowly lowered his firearm.

"Disarm."

Looking at his sword, Meiga struck it down, blade first within the ground and made distance from it.

"W-why are you giving him orders? Just shoot him!"

"I wasn't planning on shooting him, Uriel."

"Y…you traitor!"

A single shot was taken and that shot forced both Ky and Meiga to shield their faces. Uncovering his face after a few seconds, Meiga looked to Sara who had now shouldered her rifle while Ky raised his firearm. Upon turning away from the two, Ky called out to her, however, she continued on.

"The hell was that about?"

Sara had vanished over the hilltop when Meiga spoke those words yet; Ky was unable to hear Meiga's words despite how clear he had said them. His eyes were fixated on Uriel's corpse.

Ky would never forget that. Uriel, from the nose up had been blown asunder by Sara and what remained had been a gushing torrent of blood from his neck and jowl. His teeth which remained were bloody and jagged and his tongue flopped out from his mouth and had been lying next to his bloody rapier. His clothing, mail, and immediate surroundings were all covered in blood.

That was something he never wanted to see again. No matter if he was an enemy or not. Being killed in that fashion was barbaric to him.

* * *

><p>Hours had passed and the beacon of brightness had been amongst them for the pass six hours. The paradigm and the squadron which were assigned to the border had emerged within the coming rays of the sun alive. In fact, they were on their way back to the very walls which they fought to protect. It had been within caravans that were drawn by horseback which served as their transportation.<p>

Within the front of one caravan sat the two commanders, one of _Gungnir_ and the other of _Exodus_. Sisters they both were by blade and by blood, for they were related. Though as always, it was the younger of the two which felt the need to pry into what ailed those whom wished not to speak of it.

"What doth bring you trouble?"

Priya was twenty years young and would soon be a year older by the coming twenty-fifth of December. She was of the average height for a mature female and her long hair was to the middle of her back. Her braids had come undone during the night and she saw not a need to worry of addressing that until she was safe within her own home.

"…many things."

Priya turned her head in Surina's direction due to her answer. Surina was taller than Priya. Not to mention older and much sterner. Surina had also been overprotective of her younger sibling. As Priya's hair was long, Surina's was hair was also lengthy, but within a single braid. Her bangs were attractive yet, she made sure her personality overruled any attraction whatsoever.

"Such?"

Surina slightly turned her head in her younger sister's direction while keeping her eyes focused on the path before them.

"Why is it that you've you chose such a pathetic thing to be your second in command? Surely, Raisa would have made a much better choice for such a position instead of having to answer to one whom is far beneath her."

"It was of my own choice and my own belief that he would benefit from such a position."

"Yet, he knows so little compared to others and he lacks skill, dexterity, and even the fundamentals of combat and life-like scenarios…"

"He will do finely Surina, you shall see…"

Priya had ended the current topic conversation with what she had just said. Surina knew that Priya wished to speak none of it so for now, Surina let the topic die.

"Speaking of scenarios, I've a plot which many shall enjoy."

Surina completely turned her head in Priya's direction and most of her attention had been placed upon her.

"You'll see what it is soon enough."

Priya, with her innocent smile, looked away from Surina and towards the walled city which had been growing ever so closer.

"I despise surprises…you know this…"

"Ah, that I do, that I do sister."

Priya placed an index to her chin as she spoke her next words.

"…that is why you are finding this out before many others. That way, you can never say that I brought you not my implore."

Priya was not surprised when Surina chose to say not another word. She actually found it rather hilarious. That is until Surina chose to say something.

"First a lowly second and now a brimming and suicidal bloody surprise…just wonderful…"

"I've made my choice sister. That is how it shall be and unless the order comes from high, there shan't be a change."

Surina scoffed at her words. Priya was mirroring Surina's more serious attitude. Yet, this was yet another way of Priya telling Surina that she would speak no further on the subject.

* * *

><p>Within the caravan to the right of the two commanders sat three soldiers whom all belonged to Surina's <em>Exodus<em>. A male and a female were engaged in conversation while the other female was practically silent. They each sat upon long benches. Setting his right arm upon his right thigh, the male shook his head before he spoke.

"It makes not much sense to ignore a perfect beverage especially after the hectic morning's gift we've received."

His right hand had been moving in a clockwise motion as he spoke. This was a habit of his that many noticed and as his hand rotated as such he continued to speak.

"…Even though it was not of much the chore still, a suitable drink should do us all fairly well."

This young knight's name was Archer Gallagher. He was one rank under _Specialist_ though he was quite deserving of the rank. Archer is that of Heavy Infantry, yet, he functions as a Light Infantry _Specialist_. He was chosen to be within _Exodus_ due to his knowledge as well as his size; the fact that he had been smart was a plus. Archer stands at six feet and seven inches and is one of the tallest individuals within the Parousian Army. Overall, he was smart, strong, and reliable.

His weapon was an Arming Sword. Standard in make being no more than twenty-nine inches, as well as bearing a cruciform as well as a pommel. It was the basic weapon which he had received as a gift from the emperor's best blacksmith, yet, that blacksmith was outshined as of late. Archer sought a better weapon and in due time he would have it; he simply awaited its delivery.

"I refuse."

The female which had declined this idea was another which had belonged to the same unit. She was of a medium frame and for a female; she was almost as tall as most males.

Her name was Riese. She had been older than the two of them. In addition to that, she had been a _Specialist_ just as Raisa had been; yet, she had been of a different sect. Not much was known about her. Not even Surina, her commanding officer knew much about Riese, yet her expertise in stealth, strategy and, close-quarters combat was invaluable.

The weapons which had earned her the rank she now holds were dual _Kujang_. These weapons hailed from the middle-east which most farmers used to collect their crops. Though Riese's weapons were modified and extended from their usual length. These weapons were held with the cutting edges facing outwards, their respective pommels facing inward and the blade tips pointed outward. These weapons ran along her forearms and stopped just after her elbows.

A few had deemed these weapons _elbow blades_; yet, a modified weapon as hers is simply in a class of its own.

"Drinking leads to drunkenness and drunkenness leads to conflict, harm, rape, and death. I will partake in no such thing."

"Talk about a joykill…"

Riese paid the youth no mind as these words were said to her. Raiko sat next to Archer. Compared to him, she was nothing more than a seeming child in height.

"Can't you take at least one or are you too afraid you'll actually…have some fun?"

Riese now looked at Raiko with more than flatness in her obvious facial expression. Archer was certain there was a small hateful intent behind her blue eyes.

"…No…"

That was Riese's response to Raiko before she added on to it.

"…Unlike you, I've mind enough to know when enough is enough let alone when to actually say '_no_' instead of lying on my back."

Riese was not surprised when Raiko pulled one of two daggers from her boots.

"Easy, easy."

Archer began as he interjected the fight that would have ensued.

"…If Riese wants to ignore the offer then let her ignore it. Just calm down; besides fratricide leads to the gallows no matter the intent in this case."

With that reminder, Raiko slid the weapon back into its sheath which was at her left calf.

"Then tell her to not to press me."

"Uh…she's sitting right there."

Archer extended a long arm in Riese's direction and with his reach; he nearly struck Riese in the face.

"…and don't you mean 'test' and not 'press'?"

"Does it matter? If she is pressed then he be the dominant one while testing her is simply what every man seems to find a favored pass time."

As this was said, Riese's eyes were closed and even as Raiko attempted to lunge for her, her eyes were closed and she moved not an inch.

"Sit down!"

Archer, with his left arm, pushed Raiko back down.

"Do you truly want to die after you kill her? Don't be the idiot!"

Raiko looked him over and then turned away. She crossed her arms and had even begun to pout. As he looked at Riese, he did nothing more than shake his head as she sat as if nothing had even happened.

* * *

><p>"Sounds like they're having fun…"<p>

As his voice trailed, he continued to rub his neck so that he could work out the stiffness from sleeping in such an obtuse position. Meiga had also yawned as he slowly brought himself to a more aware state.

He surveyed the caravan and saw that Ky and Raisa had been within the same places when he had dozed off. More importantly, Raisa had been fairing far better than when she arrived at the entrance to the valley which they had been charged with guarding. When he first saw her, he thought she was going to die; yet, she instead sat herself down upon the back of the caravan and immediately began to treat her wounds.

Raisa had taken off her jacket and underneath that jacket had been a dark colored sleeveless top. It had been tucked into her jodhpurs and her neck was also covered by the top itself. Through the tears of this very same article of clothing, he could see bloodied bandages yet, they were still holding fairly well. Her shoulder was stitched shut as were the gashes upon her legs. She was well-versed in medical and for her to be as calm as she was, he had the feeling that he need not worry of her safety as much as he needed to worry of his own.

As he observed her, he thought nothing of the fact that she still sat within her bloodied clothing; he was more taken by her physique. She was well-defined within muscle and by recalling what he had heard about her, he could see why she was so strong.

While he observed Raisa, Ky had been blankly staring out the caravan and watched the dust from the dry Earth rise within the morning's rays of light. Raisa had been sitting to his left with her head bowed and her arms crossed. Her weapon, _Sapphire_, firmly within her crossed arms. The scent of dried blood lingered about the caravan due to Raisa's encounters within the late night.

"Well…I take it that everyone's sleep?"

"Not at all."

Raisa had lifelessly answered Meiga. This slightly alarmed him due to the fact that he thought Raisa had been resting.

"Oh. Well it's good to see that you're awake."

"I've not slept in three days while you easily doze off shortly after you took seat."

"Three days?"

He asked as he scratched the back of his head. He was in thought of why she would go without rest until he recalled that _Gungnir_ was under acceptable persons.

"With you joining the unit, perhaps I will sleep tonight."

She opened her eyes as she said these words and as she said these words she looked at Meiga; who had been sitting with his katana propped standing upright. It was held in place with the tsuka in his palm.

"Heh…well it happens to me on long rides like this. It's fairly common actually—"

"I suppose if we are at war, you will sleep just the same as well?"

"W-war? No. What makes you ask of war with that question?"

His soft voice gave away his irritation as well as his surprise.

"I've been thinking on it…"

Raisa paused as she looked to Ky who has yet to say a single word since boarding the caravan.

"They wore Grandallian mail; each and every one of them except him."

Meiga was about to question who "_him_" was yet he would have to wait.

"They were waiting for us to board the caravans I gather. Since two units before us vanished without a blood trail, who is to say they were not conspiring to invade from the inside?"

"I can't say…"

Meiga looked to Ky as he said those words.

"…but I can say this, for us it means we'll be against the very ones who we've dealt trades and commerce and even declared peace with long ago. What purpose would Queen Aurelia have of starting a war with us if she is in fact behind this? That is of course, if you really think she-"

"Greed, power, domination, conquest are few things which could be the reason if it is to be of a royal entity. If it were Halteese…well…they would not be so foolish but if they premeditated such tact then there could be the ploy of pitting Grandallian against Dalkian. If that were to happen Halteese could sit back, drink the finest of wines and wait for us to dwindle our numbers before dominating us both."

"It sounds logical…"

"More than logical Meiga…it is strategy."

Meiga looked to the outside of the caravan and noticed that they had passed the main gates into the city. He was so focused on conversation that he had not even noticed the bumps and even the sound of the caravan's wheels upon the brick roads.

Raisa on the other hand, uncrossed her arms and as she did, she took hold of her weapon with her right hand and with her left she held onto the small wooden frame which lined the caravan so that she could stand without completely losing her balance. He could see that her wounds had still bothered her, but either she was hiding that fact or she simply was ignoring the pain.

"In any case war does happen to break our peace, being against Dalkia, then it shall be a long but not as stressful battle."

"Not as stressful? Ah…"

Meiga understood what she had been saying and added on to his answered question. Yet as he began to ponder, he noticed that Raisa had left her bloodstained jacket lying about the caravan floor.

"Dalkia has been at war for so long with Halteese that there is not much fight left in them."

As the caravan came to a halt, Raisa looked over her shoulder and over to Meiga.

"Somewhat."

"What about your coat?"

Raisa looked down to the bloody and torn jacket and shrugged with her right shoulder as she looked to the scenery outside of the caravan.

"It is torn, blood stained, and partially burned. It can be burned for all I care."

Hopping off the caravan, she landed on the ground and slowly pushed herself back onto her feet. Raisa recovered from her landing and then dusted her partially burned jodhpurs off with her free hand. Turning to face Meiga, she continued on with what she was preparing to say.

"Dalkian Forces fight defensively more than aggressively. This means that if we war, they will be divided with their forces in Halteese as well as using their forces to defend _Revless_."

Without turning around, she pointed over her shoulder and towards Ky. He had been silent practically the entire ride from the boarder. Yet, there was one thing she needed to say to him and she would rather say it now than wait to do so.

"Let me know if ever feel like pissing yourself…I will be sure to push you into Raiko's mouth without hesitation."

With that said, she began to walk off. Ky's face was already revealing his unsettled mindset and Raisa's unnecessary comment made it all the more unsettled.

"Oi vey…that seemed a much longer ride than last time!"

Ky leered from the caravan he had been inside and over to Archer as he had exclaimed this while Raisa had begun to make her way back home. Standing within the caravan had been Meiga. He watched Raisa vanish into the crowd of people while Ky did the same.

Several individuals parted and moved out of her way due to her appearance. Her clothing had been bloody as were portions of her body which were visible to the eye. Not only that, but her scent was that of smoke and blood. Some civilians shook their heads while others stared in awe. Quite frankly, that was the most skin that people had ever seen of Raisa and for those same individuals, they were excited.

"I'm never going to understand that woman…"

As he crept down from the caravan to the ground, Ky looked up to Meiga as this was said.

"I don't see how you can live with her."

Ky merely looked in the direction that Raisa had gone. It had been a few seconds of silence before he had said a word.

"It just happened…"

As his voice trailed, Meiga hopped off the caravan and then began to dust himself off.

"So, where do we report to from here Commander?"

Looking down to Archer, Surina held a face of neutrality.

"You needn't worry of such things for now. This is only for the commanders to report due to the nature of the situation."

Her response was even neutral. They, being Archer, the rest of _Exodus_, as well as _Gungnir_ had heard her answer.

"Well Commander Surina, do you think it a possibility that this was a set-up as Raisa predicts?"

Surina pulled the reigns to her horse for it to turn and as it did, she too, faced Meiga so that she could answer his question.

"It's possible, but there are low chances of that."

"Unless it was premeditated…"

Nearly all eyes fell on Riese. She stood next to Archer and practically behind him. Due to their vast difference in height, one could actually miss spotting Riese due to this difference.

"My guess was that they were occupying that area to begin an advance upon us by using our armor after we all were slain and then disrupting order throughout the night. Of course, that would take far longer and be more complicated than what was suggested by, Raisa you say?"

Surina turned her attention from Riese to Meiga.

"That's correct. But she even believes that it's Halteese or even Dalkia behind it and presses more towards Halteese for who's behind it."

As Meiga spoke these words, Priya sat atop Odin and he had stood next to Surina and her horse. Both commanders looked at each other as this was said. Priya's face had an unsettling grave appearance while Surina's held critical worry.

"…So it is possible that one of them are behind it…if that is the case…"

"But then that also means that there's a traitor here too doesn't it? I mean, how else could they have gotten a hold of armor?"

"The Unit _Resolute_ and _Ascension_ were lost a few weeks ago Ky."

Looking to Priya, since she had been the one to tell him this, he pieced it together from there.

"_Then Resolute and __Ascension__ lost their armor after they…"_

"It would actually be better if we brought them as well."

Surina did not look at Priya as this idea was given. In fact she did not deny it. A simple nod was all that was given yet due to her face, Priya surprisingly asked her not what the problem had been and seeing that alone was enough of an action for everyone around to know not to bring up the obvious question or even speak to her.

Tugging the reigns of Odin, the stallion made his way in-between the caravans and then stopped.

"Meiga."

Looking to his commanding officer, he stood with his hand to flat to his sides and his feet touching. This was the position of attention. As he stood in this manner, answered her.

"Yes, commander?"

"You and Ky are relieved unless you hear otherwise. The same goes for _Exodus_ as well."

A small roar of "Yes Commander" was heard before the stallion trotted on. It took a few seconds until Surina had begun to follow Priya's path and when she did, the rest of the soldiers were left to converse amongst themselves. It was when Surina had been out of sight that Riese decided to speak.

"Something's not right."

"What'd you mean?"

"Their faces were backwards. You would think Surina would be serious and even excited yet she was the one who seemed worried while Priya became the critical of the two. Not only that but Priya was for bringing us all, yet then decided not to."

"She is right, oh and, I do thank you both for the escort if I've forgotten to do so."

Meiga bowed to show his gratitude while Archer laughed. Riese crossed her arms as she leaned against the caravan.

"You needn't thank us. We merely followed orders, though it is appreciated."

Rising to his full height, Meiga smiled yet Riese returned not the gesture.

"Back to the facts at hand, they are sisters after all right? So they can possibly deliver full commands to each other and we see just Surina nodding or shaking her head."

Ky and Meiga looked to Archer as he spoke those words. Ky slowly nodded while Meiga had crossed his arms and cupped his own chin. His weapon was safely strapped to his waist.

Archer looked down to Riese's miniature height and pondered her observation as he raised his left arm to stretch. Ky looked to Meiga who in turn looked to him. They both knew her analysis had been correct yet, what could be the cause of that, neither of them knew.

"Well, I may not be a genius but,"

Archer change course of his arm and instead of bringing it back to his side, he lightly placed his elbow upon Riese's head which immediately agitated her.

"I'd wager that our commander has a tie to Dalkia. I mean, her armor is gilded by the night."

"Priya's armor is gilded by the purest of white. That proves nothing if you want to consider affiliations due to the color choices of armor or even clothing itself."

Meiga listened to Archer and Riese's exchange of words as he watched Raiko hop off the opposing caravan.

"I guess you're right but still I—"

"Get your goddamn elbow off my head!"

Without arguing, Archer lifted his arm and then lowered it to his side.

"A little tense are we?"

With a wide smile Archer closed his blue eyes as he tilted his head upwards.

"You certainly need to unwind at the Svipul Riese!"

Ky and Meiga had both jumped from his booming voice and to follow his exclamation he laughed. A loud and hearty laugh it was.

"Well, it sounds a good idea."

Looking at Ky, Meiga continued onto his point.

"You want to head down to the Svipul later?"

Ky shrugged. He was unsure if he truly wanted to participate in a night of drinking.

"I'm not much the drinker…"

Meiga placed a hand upon Ky's shoulder plate and lightly shook him while laughing.

"Neither am I but at least it's a great way to get over what we've just endured."

He sounded full of cheer. That, Ky could see but what he could not see was that they both had nearly died mere hours ago and Meiga was prepared to drink and celebrate? Was that how everyone operated within the military? Ky was unsure what to make of it.

"Ah, by the way,"

Taking his hand off his shoulder plate Meiga made his way to Ky's right side.

"You never said how you could live with Raisa."

This gained Archer's attention and Ky spotted that the very instance the giant of a man looked in his direction. Riese had looked away yet, he could tell that she herself had also been intrigued with such a subject while Raiko had wandered off someplace.

"It just happened and it isn't as interesting as you're making it…"

"Aw…no in-depth detail?"

Ky looked at Meiga via peripheral before he answered.

"No…"

* * *

><p>Closing the door behind her, she stood within the silent dwelling. Looking around, she could see that everything was as it had been when they had left. The long counter had a small layer of dust upon it and from the door she could see that ever so clearly. The tall shelves behind the counter had various items which all dealt with forging processes. As she took small steps, she placed her right hand to her neck and tilted her head to her right. This caused a rather loud crackling of her bones and she repeated the process with her left only receiving the same results.<p>

Before she went any farther, Raisa rotated on her heel and locked the door and all three of its locks. Twisting back around, she made her way to the stairwell. Before she reached it she passed a shelf which had been against the wall opposite of the counter and also a door. This door was the only entrance to and the only exit from Ky's room. She had never entered it simply because she did not want to and she had no need to.

"A bath would be heavenly…"

Thinking this aloud as she began to ascend the staircase, Raisa stopped on the fourth step and looked back to Ky's door. It was wooden. Cheap in make and could easily be broken with little force.

He chose to sleep beyond that door without even seeing its interior which left Raisa the entire upstairs to herself. A selfless act it was; one that she has not overlooked even in the slightest. Resuming her path, Raisa could feel sweat dripping from her left hand as she has yet to release _Sapphire_ from her grip. Changing hands, she now carried her beloved _Wōdāo_ within her right hand. The smell of sweat mixing with the blood which had stained her hands as well as her ripped, smoke-ridden, and bloody clothing made a wondrous scent.

"_If we do war with Dalkia, I wonder how the offensive shall be…" _

A few seconds later, she was now proceeding down the hall, Raisa passed two doors, both on her right before she came to the only door to her left at the end of the hall.

This was her room. As she twisted the knob, she released a small sigh as the aroma of strawberries filled her nose. Pushing the door open and stepping inside, she surveyed her room. This was something she had always done as a routine. Judging that all had been well, she proceeded to close the door.

* * *

><p>As the sun reached high above the main church of the great Parousian city, Surina sat alone and she had been lost in thought.<p>

"_Two years it has been…"_

Looking to the charm within her gloved palms she silently marveled at it due to its make. It was a gilded cross which had been adorned with small gemstones, emerald in color, embedded within it. Bringing the object to her thin lips, she kissed it only once before she concealed about her person. There was a graveyard which loomed in the distance not too far from where she had been sitting and as she blankly stared at it, not a word was said as was a thought not present.

"Need I leave you be?"

Priya stood a short distance from her elder sister knowing full well what had taken her so. Her hands were behind her back and she stood bathed within the sunlight while Surina resided within the shade.

"…it won't be long before retaliation begins."

"May it not occur I do hope…yet,"

Priya looked across the graveyard and to the church that loomed in the distance as she continued to speak.

"Raisa doth speak the truth and her concerns are something which cannot be taken lightly especially the number of individuals whom bear our armor."

"I doubt her words none. I trust the not time this occurred."

"Do explain?"

Priya slowly advanced after she asked that question until she stood next to a kneeling Surina.

"…The General has been speaking of settling himself and leaving the military to live the rest of his years spending his time with his sons and his grandchildren. With the balance of things shifting and one of our most fear…no, our most feared General as well as a soldier shall soon not stand about the lines with us."

Priya knew not of such a thing and her facial expression was unable to conceal her surprise.

"If we lose him now, on that field, if Raisa is correct, we will be significantly weaker without the General leading us."

"We've Ada. You surely cannot—"

"She's seen not as much blood as he has and I trust our General over one whom is not yet of rank."

Looking to her younger sister, she could see that her eyes held a soft concern for Surina. She knew Priya was the one who lived with her emotions and often let them show through action or by her expressions. Surina on the other hand kept her emotions bottled so that none shall ever see them whatsoever.

"He knows this may be something amiss and as he is as brave is not at all knowledgeable?"

"…"

Surina did nothing more than look away.

"I do understand this…situation, yet it baffles as how you believe that he thinks not as we do. He after all did teach us both way of combat as did he taught us actual thought."

Surina had scoffed as she took in what her sister had told her.

"I still hate the timing."

"I…do not enjoy the time either, but time draws short and we must enter though no one else has yet to come..."

"Annebella chose to stay along with the rest of _Relic._ She wants to understand more of the scenario. As to what she will do afterwards, she mentioned something of visiting the one whom should serve as your second."

Priya ignored the latter half of what Surina had said and focused on the former.

"Oh? So it is only the two of us, is it not?"

"Humph. Two it is. Two it is sister…"

Surina said nothing more as she noticed the sarcasm within the word "oh". Yet, with those being the last of her words, for now at least, Surina stood.

* * *

><p>In a few weeks his life had gone from ardent to dismal. Within those same weeks, things went from dismal to a less dramatic bleak. Ky had been sitting next to Meiga whom had been slightly red in the face. Looking around, he saw people joking and drinking. Fine polished wooden chairs as well as circular tables were all neatly arranged and at each corner had been a long booth with an oval table in front of it. A tavern like no other it had often been deemed, yet, this is the first and only tavern Ky had ever wanted to visit; despite the fact that he honestly did not want to visit this one.<p>

The scent of Rum, Ale, and other alcoholic beverages had been about this complex. This of course, was the Svipul. A tavern run by a woman named Nikita. Ky had been sitting in a stool next to Meiga and they both sat at the long oval counter which was in the very middle of the tavern itself.

"…I didn't have much a choice…th—there wasn't anything there that was left for me and everyone already knew about me yet wanted nothing to do with me."

"I…see, I see."

"Yeah, and I already know about smithing as well so what do you think?"

"I think…"

Meiga hesitated as he looked to the bartender before him while simultaneously pointing skyward with his index.

"…I'm going to throw up…"

With that said Meiga bolted for the door to the Svipul and with several people outside protesting in disgust, he had attracted a lot of attention.

Heaving a sigh, Ky was about to place the pay upon the counter until the bartended asked him a question.

"So you're from Japan huh?"

With a slight hesitation, Ky gave his answer.

"Uh, yes…"

She was about the same height as Ky, whom was five feet and seven inches. There was a scar about her right brow which ran through it and stopped just above her right eye. The bartender was a red head and her hair looked as if it had been a layer upon jagged layer. Her eyes were a light brown and her lips were thin. Ky watched her as she pulled a small towel from the counter drawer and began to wipe off a glass which she was going to use.

"Well, what's it like?"

Her voice gave away her maturity rather easily. Ky assumed that she may have been in her late twenties to her early thirties.

"…it's home."

That was the only thing he had told her as he looked down to the full cup which he had yet to take a single taste of. The bartender on the other hand, filled the glass with Ale as she looked at his cup.

"Heh, well you've got a new beginning here y'know? And with that armor I take it you're a soldier along with the other one right?"

Ky slowly nodded as he listened.

"A pint of Ale down straight!"

After she yelled that, she pushed the glass down to its customer who caught the glass before it went off the counter. As she turned back to him she continued.

"Now, since you just got here not that long ago, I'll say this, calm down and relax. Grandall's ain't all that bad."

"I know it isn't it's just…"

Ky struggled to find a word yet as he did, she gave her own idea.

"Well, if you need to unwind, there are some women in the brothel that are of a good material and if you want that it's not that far from here."

"No! no…"

She smirked at his quick response while he physically appeared to retreat into his own personal shell.

"Oh? Not the type for fast sex?"

Ky quickly shook his head. The bartender leaned and placed her elbow about the countertop and then rested her chin within her palm. As she did this, the small drawstrings which were connected to her aketon danced along with her movement.

"Hm. If you don't like that you can always just visit the church since most who aren't into that are devout Christians."

"You say it as if you dislike the faith."

"Dislike? I don't believe such garbage."

This slightly shocked Ky.

"I mean why would one single '_perfect entity_' waste his time with followers? Did he get lonely or is he simply wanting all the devoted women he can delve into?"

"I…"

She quickly put a finger up before she interjected.

"Don't answer that. I let my mind come out a bit much."

"But you gave your opinion…"

"Yeah, but to keep a business running your opinion can't mean shit unless the customer doesn't give a rat's ass. Though hey, I mean you made it all the way here by yourself so you've got some survivability to you."

Ky looked at his Ale once more as he thought about his trip; specifically about one of the people he had met. The bartender quickly noticed this look and smirked as she spoke once more.

"By that look, you must've met someone. Who's the lucky lady?"

"H—her name is Kami."

"Oh? What did you and little Miss Kami do?"

Her voice and her smile gave away what she meant by '_do_'. This Ky caught on to and as he did, he slightly jumped in embarrassment.

"Nothing like that!"

The bartender laughed at his outburst as a few people turned their attention to him due to his loudness.

"Relax, relax. It was nothing but a joke, heh, but seriously now, what all did you two do?"

"We…we just talked about things."

"Like?"

"The hell? I didn't order this! This tavern is a crock!"

Before Ky could answer he was cut off by the bartender punching the counter and nearly breaking his left hand which he had pulled back after this display of anger. The bartender turned to her left and immediately retorted.

"Hey! If you don't get your goddamn order right I won't serve your ass! How 'bout that shit?"

Ky frantically looked around as the customers of the Svipul laughed as if they were in fact one. The male in question whom had disgraced the Svipul had immediately gotten quiet as others around him began to push and tease the male. The more they pushed and teased, the louder the Svipul became.

"I…think…"

"WHAT?"

She could not hear him due to the uproar of laughter and ridicule.

"I THINK-"

"WHAT?"

Without yelling anymore, Ky simply paid for his untouched drink and Meiga's, however; the bartender gave his gold back.

"JUST KEEP IT! I'LL SEE WHEN YOU COME BACK NEXT TIME!"

With that he waived and left. After he had gotten outside he immediately found Meiga still regurgitating in the street. Rushing to his aid, Meiga gently pushed him back telling him that he had been alright without speaking. As Ky looked to the church, he saw it to be nearly two in the afternoon. It was not long before he got Meiga walking and shortly after this they began to talk.

"I didn't think you'd come out before I moseyed on back home."

"Well, I'm not about to leave you behind or let you go off by yourself like that Meiga."

"Yea…yeah that's a good thing…"

Meiga was wheezing in between most of his words. It made Ky wonder if it had been more than Meiga simply over drinking.

As they progressed past several dwellings Ky saw multiple housewives hard at work. They were washing clothes, hanging them to dry, and doing a plethora of other tasks. He had also saw a group of females huddle together conversing in hushed voices.

"Agh, don't mind them,"

Meiga began as he drew in a deep breath.

"That's just gossip."

"Gossip?"

"Yup. Good ol' fashioned tell-your-best-friends-what-you-saw-someone-else-d oing-and-why-you-think-it's-wrong."

"What do you suppose they talk about exactly?"

"Tch, everything."

* * *

><p>"No…"<p>

"Yes, Elizabeth that is what I saw."

This small group of females had all been well into their thirties and spoke amongst themselves. This of course was what Meiga had been talking about. They stood in front of a dwelling and spoke solely about the things which have taken their interests.

"It wouldn't surprise me if she's been through half the army by now."

"To think that a disgraceful woman can actually swallow all of—Miriah, isn't that the Japanese that killed those three ruffians?"

* * *

><p>"What do you…it isn't like they've dedicated their lives to knowing other people business."<p>

The look he had gotten from Meiga told him otherwise. Yet, as he looked to the street which they were on, he saw the same group of housewives now watching them both.

"Uh…"

"Just keep walking."

Meiga muttered as he brought his arm from over Ky's shoulder down to his own side.

"Y-you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah…nothing a night's rest won't cure. Eh…and maybe the morning but who knows."

As he began to walk on his own, Ky watched him to ensure he would not fall over.

"Y'know, you still are gonna have to tell me how you're able to live with Raisa right?"

"Are you really going on with that? Why bring that up? You're the one who nearly spewed your soul out."

"Never you mind that…"

* * *

><p>"I heard that he was accompanied by some woman and they both killed those ruffians together."<p>

"But didn't Martha's husband get killed by those villains?"

"Aye."

"Then that would make the Japanese and that woman heroes or at least them protecting us as a people? Even if they aren't of this land they both tried to protect a citizen of our city right?"

"You know, you're right."

"I don't know about that."

"What do you mean Karen?"

"Two strangers make their way into Parousia at the same time and just so happen to meet and are involved in a battle which one man and three thieves are killed and the four of them are all Parousian. I think it rather questionable."

"Karen you are overthinking this."

"No I do not think she is, she had every right to be cautious but if the emperor let them go, then there's some truth to their actions."

The females all looked to each other and nodded. Some agreeing verbally while others remained silent.

As the two males passed them by, Miriah, Karen, Elizabeth, Mary, and Abigaile watched them as they continued on. Ky was the one whom had looked to them with a curious gaze and neither of them returned an ill look whatsoever. After they had progressed nearly to the opposing side of the street they had been on, Miriah looked down as she spoke.

"He's no murderer at all."

"I thought the same, he seems too young and too innocent to be one."

"Age has nothing to do with being a killer Abigaile!"

"Though we all agree that there is much more than just a youthful face within this correct?"

All the females agreed with Miriah.

"What about the woman though?"

"That's a good question. What is her name?"

* * *

><p>"I'm glad they didn't say anything to us."<p>

Meiga announced silently hoping for more than this brief respite.

"Why's that?"

"Do you know the kind of things they'd ask you Kusanagi?"

Ky shook his head. He honestly had no idea what they would ask him let alone why they would ask him anything.

"All of Grandall knows of you and Raisa's—"

"They do?"

The younger of the two asked with disbelief amongst his tone.

"Why do you think they were looking at you the way they were? It's a mixture of fear and curiosity. They heard that you were a ruthless killer or something else along those lines."

Ky now hung his head and Meiga quickly went on to quell his thoughts.

"Don't get the wrong idea this kind of thing just happens. After seeing your face, I'm sure they have differing opinions now."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course."

After thanking Meiga for the reassurance, they both parted ways for they had in fact passed Meiga's dwelling and after offering his help, Meiga declined.

"I need sleep, sleep, and more sleep. With that report and all you know we're going to have to be put to work even harder than usual."

"We are?"

Meiga said nothing after this. He merely waived as he continued on down towards his own home. Turning away from the path which Meiga had taken, Ky continued on towards his own home; one that was shared with Raisa.

It had been roughly a half hour before he had entered his new home. As he looked around he saw that there had been not much else which had been done. That told him that Raisa had gone directly up to her room.

Before him was a long counter which served as nothing but a counter. Behind it had been a few empty shelves one of which had objects upon it though most of them were riddled with dust and balls of dust. They were easily visible even from where he stood. A door-less entrance was a few feet to the left of the shelf and that room behind it had been empty. It was a rather large space which could hold several items such as sets of armor, swords, axes, you name it.

Looking over to his right was yet another door; this door was close to the stairway. Beyond this door was his room. He could have chosen a room upstairs yet, that would be rather awkward. Raisa had chosen to sleep upstairs after he had chosen this room and this was due to them barely knowing each other.

That and for the fact that he felt somewhat socially awkward when it came to the opposing gender. Though, together they did fight and alongside each other they made a pretty good team—at least this is what he thought.

Locking the door behind him, Ky proceeded to his own room yet as he placed his hand on the knob, he caught sight of Raisa whom had already finished her bath and had also changed her attire. Her black long sleeved shirt had buttoned pockets near each shoulder and her braise were a dark in color. What had been the same had been the greaves and straw sandals which she wore.

"Took you awhile to find your way back…"

As she began to descend the stairway, she had begun to tend to her long and flowing red hair. In her mouth had been a small band and guessing what it was for and watching her bring her hair back into a tail, he assumed it was just for that.

"I…walked with Meiga. He uh…drank a bit much and needed—"

"Hm…figures he would overdrink."

Holding her hair in a tail with one hand and took the dark blue band from her mouth with her free hand and slipped it over the tail and had begun to adjust it as she passed him by on the ground floor.

"Well, I…uh…"

Raisa continued until she pushed open the small waist-door which was attached to the wall instead of the counter. It was made to look exactly like it yet, it had faded due to age.

"Well what?"

Before Ky could say anything, Raisa had lifted a small crate from under the counter and set it on top of it.

"Uh…what are you about to do?"

Raisa had begun to pull stacks of parchment from the crate and laid them on the counter before her. In this crate had been a small pot of ink and with it, a quill.

"If we are to craft for the military we need the product to actually begin doing such right?"

The room was bright enough for her to not need a lantern yet, as she began to read, Ky asked her another question.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"The right thing about what?"

She responded as she continued to read.

"Y'know about…joining the military…I just think well…"

"It's better than sitting in the goddamned dungeon isn't it?"

"Well, yeah but—"

"And it was my idea to try not to be put back there again."

Raisa set the parchment down and now looked at him.

"After all, you did not have to agree with my choice, I only gave you an alternate choice in the matter and that choice could get us both out of this fucking country if we go about it right. I thought you be more accepting to the idea of not having that innocent mouth continually plunged by another man but if you so do choose to rot away in dignity, sanity, cleanliness and your manhood, then do be my guest and tell that to the Emperor of this fucking Hell."

With all that hitting him, Ky had nothing to say. He was speechless before the cold facts that Raisa had just given him and as he stood there, in front of his room staring at her, she did nothing more than resume her reading. She needed to be sure she understood what she would be signing for, for these forms were needed if she wanted to craft anything.

* * *

><p>Her eyes were closed and her arms crossed, Surina lightly tapped her foot which gave away how she felt about waiting around; especially here. Priya had only been within the castle once before this day and her actions showed it. She roamed from the sides of the corridors, looking to each portrait of the members of the Astlar Family whom had passed over the centuries.<p>

"You need not prance about with such wonder."

As she looked to a man whom was late in his years and wore Grandallian mail, Priya gave her answer to such an insult.

"I prance none. I only admire the works of those whom bear an artistic trait. One for which you seemingly do lack. In more ways than one I may add."

Surina opened her eyes and a chilling gaze was set upon Priya, yet as Priya turned her own frostbitten gaze upon Surina, the elder of the two soon faltered. She could not be as stern and callous in nature towards her own kin no matter how she tried. Despite the fact that her intentions were well-placed, Priya's own demeanor was what made her a rather unique commander.

"I'm sorry."

Priya's icy gaze soon melted after Surina had said that. Though before she could say anything, the large twin doors creaked and immediately after that, they slowly opened. Priya turned to face the individual whom had crossed the threshold of the foyer while Surina narrowed her eyes at the individual.

"…_Malphas."_

Surina disliked the man. He was arrogant but more importantly, he abused his lover but not before he murdered his wife. He claimed her to be unfaithful while in fact he, himself was the one who led the double life of dedicated husband by day and sexual deviant by night.

"A pleasure it is to see you again Malphas."

Priya bowed as she gave him the greeting yet he returned not the gesture. Realizing this, she quickly stood erect and watched him as he proceeded further into the foyer. He stepped to the side while looking at them both and then cleared his throat.

"The emperor will now hear of your _'urgent matters__'_."

Priya looked at Surina whom had quickly passed her by walking. Following suit, Priya kept the pace of three feet behind her elder sister and as they both passed Malphas by, he watched them both as they entered deeper into the castle.

They walked upon a deep red carpet which held gold trimmings at the edges. Torches were set ablaze to light the darkness of the corridor and as Priya looked skyward, she could see dark drapes which hung from the castle's ceiling. They were a deep purple and were in the shape of half-circles.

All in all, the corridor appeared to be practically deserted and it gave Surina an uneasy feeling. She felt as if she was being watched despite the fact that Malphas could not see them due to the corner they had turned. After a few more steps, they turned yet another corner and as they both stood in yet another foyer. With this second foyer had also been more large double doors as well.

Priya stood to Surina's right and observed the area. There had been a slight chill within this foyer. Priya could never guess what brought about such a chill yet; Surina seemed not to even notice it. If that be the case then it is only Priya whom were feeling nervous.

Squinting against the thick smoke of the torches which burned within the foyer, Surina marched forth and stood with her arms to her sides and her feet together, heels touching. Instinctively, Priya followed suit. Seconds later, four of the Emperor's personal knights marched into the vicinity and stood. The four watched the two commanders. Each of them were male and each of them held armor of a deep red which bore a black dragon which represented Grandall itself. Two of them were with lances and the other two wielded broadswords.

Footsteps could be heard. Priya, via her peripheral, looked to Surina to see what exactly she had been doing yet nothing had changed; nothing except her facial expression that is. It looked similar to that of a cornered beast bearing its fangs. Seconds later, he entered their sight.

He was a blonde with blue eyes. His mail was that of the Grandallian make and he wore a cape. Surina lightly scoffed which Priya heard. Fortunately, no one else heard her. Mockery could lead to several things and death was one of them.

As he locked eyes them, he quickly changed his focus to Surina. Slowly approaching them, he looked to their choice in mail. It was Grandallian forged but not representing of Grandall itself; Surina in all black and Priya in all white. Both of them held gilded accents to their mail, but only Priya allowed her feet to be exposed within her choice. He now stood at a distance of six feet from them and his personal knights.

"You are rust as stern as your father,"

Shifting his studying gaze to Priya, he looked her within her eyes.

"…and you are just the same. What matter of urgency do you bring?"

The young man watched Priya as she took a knee.

"M'lord, upon completing our duties upon the boarder, we discovered a group of individuals whom bore the very armor which represents the Grandallian Army."

"Oh?"

He sounded rather intrigued with her words. As he looked to Surina whom had taken a knee as well, he said nothing else as Surina began to speak.

"It is correct, we have both encountered foes who don the armor of our country while the squadron leader of _Relic_ has encountered and triumphed over the same threat."

The Emperor's face drew up in disgust.

"Is that so? Then what has become of these…individuals?"

"They were slain M'lord. Due to the thinning of my paradigm, _Gungnir_, most of the enemies had been dispatched by Raisa."

"…Raisa…"

Seconds had passed before anything else was said. Priya and Surina both kept their heads down as he paced from their left and then to their right.

"I assume that she is alive and well?"

He sounded irritated for the fact that she had survived. Either that or it could be a deep concern.

"Raisa of _Gungnir_ along with Archer and Riese of my _Exodus_ received the heaviest of the attack my lord. All three have prevailed against great odds my lord."

Surina eyed her younger sister without moving her head. They both were down upon one knee, Surina upon her left and Priya upon her right. Their heads were bowed as they spoke and Priya had been doing much the speaking itself.

Pausing in his pacing, he looked to one of his knights and as his back was turned, he asked yet another question.

"I suppose you believe something is amiss for such a…glorious victory to be had?"

"Glorious none M'lord, yet Raisa along with the lot of us are concerned due to the vast number of individuals whom had been occupying the position near the border."

As he tilted his head, only slightly, he brushed his golden locks from his blue eyes. He was an arrogant and hateful individual. Surina could see that with ease. Priya thought of him to merely be stressed from being so young and called to rule the land for which his ancestors had done before him; though Surina knew better.

"If that be the case, then our defenses shall be heightened."

He turned and began to take his leave before he halted and looked over his right shoulder.

"_Exodus_, _Gungnir_, and _Relic_ are free to unarm. You are both dismissed until further notice."

Surina enjoyed not his words yet, as Priya responded to him, Surina remained silent. As his footsteps were heard descending down the hall, Priya stood after Surina and it was Surina who had made her way through the foyer first.

* * *

><p>Reaching the gates in less than three minutes and passing the four guards Surina was slowed by Priya whom had come to her side and gently pulled her back by her left arm.<p>

"You needn't be disrespectful…"

"I trust him none."

"Surina…"

Looking to her younger sister, she already knew that Priya was preparing to give her a lecture, yet she would hear it not. As she approached her horse, she raised her hand which signaled Priya to stop.

"I've not slept in two days. I'm hungry and I want to sleep."

Looking at Priya in her pure and gilded armor, Surina lowered her arm and turned to focus on mounting her horse.

"He won't always turn the blind eye Surina."

As she mounted her horse and adjusted how she sat upon her it, she looked down to Priya.

"When it's brought up I'll be honest about it and tell the boy I've no respect for him."

"Surina!"

Without another word, Surina snapped the reigns to her horse and with this command, it began to trot. Sighing, Priya watched as her elder sister departed. It took her only a few seconds to take Odin by the reigns and gently rub his neck.

"I know not what to do about her."

The white stallion grunted as he shook his head. Instead of mounting Odin, Priya decided to merely walk with him. So by the reigns, Odin followed Priya as she began to lead him home.

Several moments later, and after passing by several merchants and other citizens, Priya was congratulated by several of the people for her return and even more so, she was offered drink after drink. Of course, she turned them down. Especially the males she knew whom were married. As she passed a by a small child she was stopped by this child as she had run to catch up to her.

Kneeling down to the child's eye level Priya greeted them and asked them what it was they wanted. They child did nothing more than give her a small daisy.

"Hehe, well I thank you good sir, but what is this for?"

"It's 'cus I think you're pretty."

Priya's smile widened immensely.

"Pretty ladies need flowers 'cus they're pretty to."

It was then that the young child's mother came and escorted him inside. The look she had given Priya was a resentful one and Priya knew why she was given that look.

Deborah was one of the widows which had lost their husband due to the ambush which had taken place on Grandallian forces at the border weeks ago and sadly, this loss had made Deborah hateful of those whom were in the military.

"Bye pretty lady!"

Priya waived to the child before the door was slammed before her. As the wind from the door met her face, her smile faded.

"_Raisa…I do hope you are wrong…"_

As she looked to the small daisy, she rotated it within the grasp of her right index and thumb. Approaching Odin and taking him by the reigns once more, she continued to walk on.

_"If war truly does break forth, then every man, woman, and child would suffer because of it and we needn't any more suffering."_

Looking to the sky above, she could only pray that Raisa was wrong but deep down, Priya knew that her subordinate had been absolutely correct.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter III End<strong>

_End Notes:_

Archer prefers to either be called by his first name (Archer) or his last (Gallagher) and dislikes being called both together.

Archer stands at a towering six feet and seven inches and dwarfs all else in _Exodus_. He also enjoys placing his elbow upon Riese's head due to the fact that she is much shorter than he is.

Svipul: The local tavern.

Arming Sword: Deemed the knight's sword. It is a basic sword normally made with a cruciform pommel, yet Archer dislikes this weapon and has ordered a new one.

Specialist: An individual of this rank is held above entry rank Privates. Specialists have a specific skill or trade which they specialize in which they excel above all others in. Either that or they exceed the standard of a certain area.

Specialists receive better pay, treatment, and are overall, greatly respected when compared to Privates.

Kujang: Daggers hailing from Indonesia. These tools are normally used for farming yet, Riese has gotten a hold of a pair and has had them modified to her liking. These weapons are just as long as her arms and are lethal. They are used for slashing and ripping crops originally. Again, with the modifications made to them, they are even more frightening a weapon.

**Vocab**

Braise: Pant-like leggings with a drawstring as a substitute for a belt.


	5. Act: I Chapter: IV

**Act: I**

**Chapter IV**

* * *

><p>"…you are hereby agreeing to the fact that weaponry shall be delivered to your place of residence and that you are performing your duties for the said factions only…"<p>

Sifting upon the stool for she had been sitting on, Raisa continued to read from the parchment which she had taken from the several stacks which were laid about the counter before her. As she read, she could hear Ky moving about in his room. Moving this and repositioning that. It was not annoying yet; she would imagine that he had something better to do than worry solely of how his room looked. Of course, she could say nothing about that. Raisa herself was particularly precise if not picky when it came to how things were within her room.

Of course, she had arranged the belongings within her room upon the first night that was spent here while Ky did nothing more than sleep. Of the two, Raisa knew that he was the more delicate if not weaker. Though it mattered none; they were stuck together and would be stuck together for a while and until things were supposedly repaid, he would be beside her as an illness sucked the life from a dying man.

"…and payment is…one hundred pieces for this much?"

Without a second thought, Raisa balled the parchment and tossed it in the small basket which was against the wall behind her. Placing her forehead within her left palm she then yawned. She had not slept in days due to Gungnir being undermanned. With that fact, she had securely guarded three points while her Commanding Officer, Priya, overlooked two while Ky watched over only one. Traps had been set at each point she had guarded and even more to the fact had been that she frequently checked all three within a thirty minute interval. Priya had often come to bring her food and water and had even offered to take the burden yet Raisa refused. She needn't any sympathy or relief. It was her job to do so in the first place.

Heaving a sigh she closed her eyes for a moment to think.

"_The amount they are willing to give for the price they want is fucking us over. Not only that__,__ they want us to work for them by their prices which will eventually run us out of business at that rate…"_

Raisa was not at all foolish. The scrap and even the steel which could be purchased had all been overpriced. In fact, she could buy three times the amount if she sought out sources which she knew she could rely on.

_"That leaves me to order out then…"_

"Raisa."

Cocking her head to the fact that her name had been called, she groaned due to being annoyed and she has yet to even find out what Ky had wanted. As he came out of his room and into view, he approached the counter and set two crates upon it.

"The fuck is this?"

"Well, I looked through most of them and I take it they're old sales records."

This instantly changed her mood. Not only that, Raisa had also sat up.

"Really…?"

Taking one of the parchments within her smooth hands, she began to look it over as Ky continued to speak.

"Yeah, they don't appear to be that old either. By that closest date I saw it's not even a year old. But none of them have the months or even days the transactions happened on them."

"_So__,__ 1605 is the latest entry…"_

"I'm also about to head out for a bit to if that's alright with you?"

Raisa furrowed a brow as she read yet, before she spoke, she looked at him with slight confusion.

"You are asking permission to leave?"

"Huh? I was just letting you—ha, I guess it does sound like that huh?"

His smile was warm and in his slight embarrassment he had begun to scratch the back of his head. Raisa was not at all amused. Instead, she looked back to the parchment within her hands and continued to read on yet; after a few seconds she placed the parchment within the crate which Ky had brought to her along with another and prepared to move them both.

"Try not to get lost."

As she lifted the crates, she stood and then knelt down to place them on the floor. As she was out of sight, she continued on with her implore.

"Do not get caught in anything or arrested and raped. Got it?"

Ky stared blankly for a second before he could produce an answer.

"Ra…got…it?"

Confusion held his face within its firm grasp as he slowly turned away only to stop and look back to the counter. Resuming his prior action, he turned away from the counter and seconds later, he had left the soon to be establishment.

"_If these documents are true that would let me know who worked here as well as how much they were charged__…__if they were charged to begin with. Even so, I will still need to purchase what I need without Parousia's aid."_

Rising from her downed position, Raisa sat herself back down in the stool just as she did before.

"_Th__ough__…what exactly does this country need? They are__n__o__t involved in any war __or__ conflict and have__n__o__t been in over ten years. __W__hy the hell do they need us in the first place?"_

Raisa's thoughts had been placed on hold as the door opened. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked to see who it was and to her surprise, it was none other than her Commanding Officer.

"Well, well, this is too soon to lay eyes to you Priya…"

Raisa noticed that Priya had yet to change from her mail. This brought a couple questions to her mind which she hesitated none in verbalizing.

"Have you business or is this for a personal visit?"

Priya smiled and bowed before taking another step into Raisa and Ky's home. After she bowed, she closed the door behind her and began to advance towards the counter.

"I come to see how it is you both are doing actually, so…I assume it would be both."

As she observed the young commander before her, she noticed her eyes wandering about the room. In addition to that, she seemed rather calm for one whom was prying.

"Both…I should feel honored."

Priya smiled as she reached the counter and as she stood before Raisa, she placed a hand on the countertop she stood before; though Priya was not sure if she had just been insulted or if she could simply be overthinking the words which Raisa had spoken.

"It doth seem you be in better spirits. I trust you've slept?"

"No."

"Oh, my apologies then."

"You need not apologize."

Raisa waived off the common routine for as little as Raisa has known Priya, her politeness revolved around apologizing for something which she need not apologize for.

"There is much to do and not much time before progress is checked."

"Checked?"

Priya was rather curious as to what Raisa had meant.

"The twenty-fourth of this month Girardot will come to see if we are faring well and if we are doing what we must."

"Ah, I understand."

"Though, we have much to do yet, Ky wants to do this and do that—which leaves me doing all else."

Priya's face had tensed as she heard this. Raisa noticed this rather quickly and made a personal note that Priya oft reveals her emotions or even concerns by her facial expressions.

"The two of you be essential for your success, so why is it he—"

"He is innocent enough to not understand complex issues."

Turning her head only slightly, Priya placed both her arms upon the countertop as Raisa continued to explain.

"He is only eighteen; barely over eighteen at that by mere days. He still thinks he will get things with most others lending him help but the world does not work in that way."

Raisa had crossed her arms as she continued to speak.

"I doubt he even knows how most trading is done despite his history."

"History?"

Raisa furrowed her left brow as this was said.

"You don't…Ky comes from a family which dealt with craft: sword, axe, mail, and firearm alike. He knows how to craft and forge due to his parents which had been recently killed."

Priya's face could not hold her shock. At the same time, a hand was brought to her mouth yet Raisa continued to speak.

"He is here trying to trade, craft, and carry on his family's tradition. Despite that choice he has much growing to do."

Raisa uncrossed her arms and balled her fists while simultaneously stretching her back. The results of this were her bones cracking along with a loud and sickening twisting of her spine. This made Priya shudder but only ever so slightly.

"We…we all have to become of age at our time Raisa."

Crossing her arms again, she looked Priya in her eyes before she replied.

"I know that."

"Aside from that, you just need to be patient if not, guide him in that direction."

"He needs to learn that himself. I am not his mother, he has to progress on his own if he wants to survive on his own."

Priya was silent for a moment. Raisa had been absolutely correct though it was only a different method for achieving the same goal. That is, if you could consider that a goal.

"_They both bear different ways of upbringing. Raisa being the more independent of the pair. Tis be obvious."_

"He needs to have a spine."

Priya looked Raisa in her eyes as she said that.

"If he sucks the breasts and manhood of others he will be dependent until his death."

Priya's face had reddened only slightly. Yet despite her embarrassment, she understood the message which was being delivered.

"He is second command; he needs to act like one and not like the Medic of Relic."

"You mean Noémi?"

"Yes… her."

"They may act alike yet, well…"

As her voice trailed, Priya realized that the two of them, both Ky and Noémi had in fact held much in common when it came to their behavior.

"Religion aside, they lack essentials which hold them from facing the world as is. They cannot expect hands to aid them. They cannot expect one to be there when they are injured, though apparently with Noémi's religion it seems once you follow the church you are set in life."

"That is a rather biased thing to say. Especially for the fact that people follow Christianity for it is their faith."

"Their scapegoat you mean."

Priya's eyes were agape as Raisa leaned forward. In fact, Raisa was mere inches from Priya's face. She had placed her elbows upon the counter and uncrossed her arms only to interlace her fingers with one another. To follow this, she cupped her chin in between her thumbs. Her lips were just above her both her index fingers as she resumed speaking.

"Humanity clings to an object or being in order to cope with what it cannot. The desperate cling to whiskey. It helps them forget problems. The weak seek companionship. It keeps them from feeling lonely. The fools cling to religion. They do not wish to face the world and want something to believe in simply to help them move on through difficulties which they are afraid to face."

As a few seconds of silence drifted by, Raisa looked to the civilians just outside. Raisa lightly scoffed as she watched a few individuals outside, who were laughing at something pass by.

"They want hope and that is why they seek religion."

"I see nothing wrong with blind faith. That is what religion is Raisa and I'm sure that you can at least agree with that."

"Blind faith can only get you so far before you face something which cannot be quelled by your faith. There is luck and luck only."

"There is more than just—"

Priya cut herself off as the door had opened. Priya herself had turned to see who it was and in doing so, she turned her body to where she stood sideways as she stood in front of Raisa. Raisa on the other hand simply looked pass Priya and to the door, yet by the blonde hair and the small curls which accompanied that blonde hair, Raisa knew well enough who it was.

* * *

><p>A time of twenty minutes had passed since he had left Raisa behind. Ky had now been making his way up a set of steps which led to a small garden. He wiped his brow to free it of sweat and looked to his surroundings. The trees around him were beautiful. Several of the trees had begun to shed their leaves and most of the trees had been a golden orange or a deep red. Autumn was coming. It was within season as well so it was not as if it had been rushed. As he continued on, he eventually came upon a lone tree with most of its green leaves still intact.<p>

"I guess this' as good a spot as any."

Sitting himself down and leaning against the small tree, Ky made himself comfortable and as he did, he looked to the view. He had travelled quite a way to be here and when he finally looked from his perch, he could see everything. As the slow torrent of red, gold, and green leaves danced within a loving embrace with the wind, he watched the city beneath him. As he watched, he noticed that even the grass was swaying to and fro in an attempt to have some of that embrace for itself. He could see the lone clock tower which stood in a distance from his current position which was still in progress of being constructed. The hands of the clock had yet to be put in place. There was something else he could see as well. It was the castle. This castle was home to Strife Astlar, the current emperor of Parousia.

A small sigh escaped him as he looked at the castle. It stood proud and tall but he would never forget the way he was treated inside of the dungeon which lay underneath the castle itself. Ignoring the past, Ky parted the small book which he had been carrying with him for a few days now. He had been reading it as he awaited Meiga's arrival when he was on duty. However, he had another situation on his mind.

His birthday had just passed two days ago. He had turned eighteen on the eighteenth which seemed a rather funny thing to him. Supposedly such a thing, being the same number of the month and one's age, was to be a blessing of luck more or less. The same fate, being luck, was to be bestowed to those with "Ichi" in their name.

The breeze had picked up and his long ponytail had been lifted by the strong breeze. Looking to his flowing ponytail he smirked at how free it appeared. It was a slight contrast to how trapped he felt. Despite having help in carrying on what his parents had done, he felt trapped as he was not allowed to even leave the country. That is of course, unless he was on official business but he knew he would never be able to attain such a privilege.

Looking down to the book he read, Ky re-read the last section and then he waited a few seconds after the breeze had died down so that he could turn the page. As he had turned to the next page, he paused as his light was blocked by something. Looking skyward, he saw the problem. Clouds. He was not annoyed by this but he did want to read in peace. Yet, watching nature go about its course was something which he enjoyed as well.

As he watched the clouds whimsically travel about the sky, he blinked slowly as a leaf blew pass his face. The image of Uriel's corpse slowly crept into his mind yet, Ky quickly shook it away. Raisa had made the comment of his disfigurement appearing as a vagina during its '_bloody period_' which he knew not what that was and if it were coming from Raisa, he more than likely did not want to know.

Quite frankly, he could not remind himself enough that it was something he never wanted to see again. No matter if he was an enemy or not. Being killed in that fashion was barbaric to him. As he stared at the sky he was distracted by the sound of leaves and grass bein crushed in small intervals. Those were signs of approaching footsteps. It almost sent him into a state of alarm yet; he remembered that he was behind the walls of the city which immediately relaxed him.

As he observed the owner of these footsteps he was rather enthralled to see whom they belonged to.

"Uh…hey…"

"Greetings, what is it that takes you all this way?"

This was Noémi. It was often that they would be together and even more often had been when one of them were called only for the two of them to respond to whoever had called one of them. This was due to the nickname she had been given which everyone seemed to remember opposed to her name.

"Just a bit of light reading and taking in the sights."

He lifted the small book he had with him as he spoke to show her what he had been reading. It was after he rested his arms within his lap that he asked her of her current objectives.

"What brings you up here?"

"I called out to you as you passed by the church yet you mustn't have heard."

Noémi was pale in complexion. To contrast her skin had been her hair, which was as dark as night as well as being styled as a dame of sorts. As she blinked he looked at her eyes. A lovely light brown they were and for a second he saw Sara within her. Of course, Sara was far taller than Noémi and also was well defined when it came to her physique. Noémi was lacking in that area of stature. Not to mention that Noémi did not have a sultry and calm manner of speaking. She only spoke like Noémi.

"You did? Oh, well, sorry."

She wore leather shoes which bore a strip of metal upon them and the design upon this strip was of a cross. Her skirt was long and she wore a small jacket. It had two glistening silver pendants on it. One above each breast and these pendants also had crosses within them. Her outfit was nearly entirely of one color and that color had been white. The silver trimmings of her jacket and skirt are what stood out the most. Noémi had also been carrying a bible with her. She held it in front of her body with both hands.

"It be fine Ky, yet, I do have an invitation to extend to you."

"An invitation?

His voice gave the hint to his confusion as well as his surprise.

"Why yes. Would you like to come by the church this Sunday?"

Ky looked up and as he thought of her offer, he would have to think it over.

"Not really sure if I can I mean—"

"You've not time to offer praise?"

"It's not that, it's just that…"

"Then what?"

This normally happened when one would deny Noémi an invitation or rather if anything had to do with church. Ky simply would have to stand his ground or at least, stand his ground until she stormed off. Though he did not want to disappoint her, let alone make her mad.

"…there's things that need to be done with the shop and all."

"What kind of things?"

"Ordering parts for one, then setting up business, spreading word of our trade, and cleaning and so much more than I've honestly forgotten half of them."

"I take it, it be stressful?"

Noémi's grip upon her bible intensified.

"Kind of but not so much; it's work after all and not to be of any offense but I don't think offering praise in the sense you're referring to can appease the emperor."

Her face was as stern as ever after that comment. Ky himself knew that he may have gotten away with it if he had not made that last comment. The wind had even picked up and blew a few leaves which had fallen from the trees around him about as she stared at him.

"So out of all the things and wondrous chores you've no time to offer praise to the one whose judgment truly doth matter?"

"I didn't say that—"

"Oh but you have, you have said it clearly and plainly. You, Ky, have said that you have so many chores to do that you have forgotten half of them."

Ky placed both his hands in front of him before he said anything else. Noémi's face had even begun to turn red from her being annoyed if not infuriated.

"Okay, okay…"

Ky lightly groaned knowing full well that this was probably not the best of choices to make.

"I'll see what I can do okay?"

As he looked at her, she seemed to relax. In addition to this, Noémi nodded while simultaneously smiling.

"Splendid!"

* * *

><p>"I trust you have been well, Priya?"<p>

"I have been. I thank you for your concern, Abelia."

Raisa said not a word as Abelia, another commander whom is allied with the Parousian army entered her residence.

"I must admit, I never would have assumed of you to be here though. I trust all is well with your…subordinate?"

Priya now fully turned to face Abelia.

"All is well. With the result of this morning I thought it best to see if there were anything that need my attention."

"As a commander should; however, I do wonder though…"

As she hesitated in her speech, she placed both her arms behind her back and had now taken slow steps towards Priya and Raisa's left.

"I've heard of, well, the _incident_ but I've also heard of a supposed threat of war."

Priya lightly tensed as she knew full well where Abelia had been going with this conjecture of hers. As she watched Abelia take step after step, Raisa remained silent while Priya remained the one to engage her in conversation.

"I do wonder, what makes you think that our country is to be at war? After all, we've done harm to none."

"Our battle was against the Brigands. Some of which wore our armor."

"Ah, so you say, but who is to say that…Raisa did not turn her sword against our own?"

Priya clearly heard Raisa's annoyed sigh due to how close the two were to one another. Priya knew that Raisa did not want to be involved with such idiocy as Priya did not want to engage in this conversation either. Yet to keep the two of them or rather Raisa, from killing Abelia, it was her only choice.

"I myself had been attacked by the same individuals Abelia…if what you say be true, despite its hypothetical nature, then that would mean that a handful of our own have turned on us and that we had not a choice but to defend ourselves."

Abelia had now ceased her pacing and looked Priya in her eyes. Priya on the other hand watched the blonde as she studied her.

"Then what do you make of it?"

The blonde's arms were still behind her back as she watched the younger commander before her.

"_It could be anything. They wore Grandallian armor but none could identify them as our own."_

Looking over her shoulder to an uninterested Raisa, Priya continued to think.

"_Raisa be not one whom would act so foolishly. That, I do know for certain."_

"Well, as you are thinking I shall ask your lesser subordinate."

Raisa moved not an inch as she remained in the same position as when it had just been Raisa and Priya conversing.

"How would you explain your own actions, Raisa?"

"…"

In this silence, Priya looked over her shoulder once more while Abelia cleared her throat.

"I asked you a question private."

"…"

Still, she gave no answer. Priya on the other hand knew why. Raisa, due to her skill in firearms use, combat, general knowledge, as well as advanced strategic warfare gained her a much higher rank than private.

"Grr…I doubt you be hard of hearing!"

With that exclamation, Abelia quickly advanced towards the counter and it was Priya who stood in between her and the unmoving Raisa.

"…"

"Your subordinate lacks discipline Priya."

"You need not address her in that tongue."

"'In that tongue'? What do you mean by that?"

"It means…still your tongue…lest you lose it."

Abelia's face showed little hesitation as she stepped to Priya's side and slammed both her arms upon the counter.

"You've no right to speak to me in that—"

"I care nothing for spoiled brat that plays chess around her orifice with more than chess pieces…"

Priya's eyes immediately flared in alarm while Abelia stared in shock of what she was just accused of.

"I…think it best if we not discuss this."

Priya tried to slowly usher Abelia away from the counter yet to no avail.

"Discuss? Why ever should we not?"

"You say that as if your family has never cared for you?"

Raisa said not a word. Her glare was more than enough to tell both Priya and Abelia that she did not want to discuss the subject.

Before Priya could say anything she was interjected. "I know not much of this…thing, before me and I doubt it can be trusted!"

"Abelia!"

Abelia Schillfelt was the commander of the unit _Valor._ She was taller than Priya but shorter than Raisa. Priya stood at five feet and five inches while Abelia was slightly taller than her. Raisa stood at five feet and seven inches. Abelia was a blonde female with drill like curls whom was born to a well-known commander within the Grandallian Empire. She was no different from Priya or Surina in this sense. What was different was that Priya was tolerable to be around while Surina and Abelia were not tolerable whatsoever. Abelia was less tolerable than Surina as she thought of it.

"What?"

Abelia was known for her talent from the very beginning of her training and as Raisa had heard she loved the limelight which she had oft been bathed in. That limelight had come to an end though. After Ky and Raisa were released from detainment, Raisa brought Ky into her plot of joining the military to possibly reduce the time which they were damned to spend in this hell hole. Ky received his training while Raisa suffered through most of hers.

"You needn't be so rash about her!"

Raisa was pitted against opponent after opponent by none other than Strife himself. As she fought, day after day and hour after hour, she became known for her talent as well as her nihonto, _Sapphire_. When Abelia was to be her opponent, Raisa had heard that Abelia herself had openly requested the challenge. Without a choice, Raisa fought her in an exhibition duel. Ultimately, Abelia lost by a landslide. When news of her defeat reached the ears of the people Raisa was looked upon as a top choice by many commanders and other military officials.

"I be not rash, if anything I be honest!"

Fact is, Abelia was angered by her defeat and also angered that now, she lived within Raisa's shadow. No matter where she went within Parousia, the people knew that she had suffered a humiliating defeat and if it were not practice, Abelia would have died in less than three minutes.

It also was not a secret that Raisa was pitted against sword after sword and Abelia was her fifteenth opponent. She was well rested while Raisa was exhausted and with that difference Abelia still suffered defeat. Raisa also knew that Abelia had come down here in order to challenge her to another match to prove her worth if not for the people, for herself yet, Raisa did not want to combat her once more. She had far more important things to do.

Scoffing as silence had settled over the three of them, she decided to voice her opinion.

"It's rather sickening…to be honest…"

"Sickening?"

Abelia repeated.

"You claim I cannot be trusted for not being born in your precious shit of a country…"

Abelia temporarily broke Priya's hold only for Priya to take hold of her left arm and quickly seizing her right to ensure Abelia could not draw her sword.

"Truth is…I do not care if all burns and each and every single person you care for is tortured before they are killed, whether then be beaten, whipped, prodded, vivisected, decapitated, bifurcated or even dismembered. Your opinion means absolutely nothing to me; and by all means, if you die any time soon, I will be the first to dance upon your grave."

Abelia was beyond infuriated. Her face had even begun to turn a deeper and deeper red. It was within this loss of her surroundings that the door opened yet again and as it did, Abelia's anger began to take control of her.

"You ungrateful b—"

"Abelia I think that you've said enough."

That voice. It was heavy and stern. Slowly turning her head she could see his face. With the visual acknowledgement of who was behind her she looked away and took a step backwards. Priya took a retreating step from her as well which allowed the third commander to enter further into the establishment and after she looked around she focused his sight upon Raisa who was not at all intimidated by her presence.

"Annebella, if I recall right?"

She smirked as she took note of how calm Raisa had been.

"Correct, though I think it best if this matter be settled without violence."

Annebella looked at Abelia who in turn broke Priya's grasp once more yet, she remained calm, despite her obvious agitation. After this display, she looked at Priya and with a small smile, she greeted her.

"Ah, how are you Priya?"

"I…I am well, Annebella."

Annebella was another blue-eyed blonde yet, she was older. Middle aged and much wiser than the two commanders to her left, she had also been of a higher rank. She stood above Priya, Raisa, and Abelia in a height of five feet and nine inches. Her mail had also been present. At this rate, Raisa thought she were the only one to change out from hers.

As she approached the counter, Raisa did not move. She retained her calm for she saw no reason to panic. Even as Annebella rested an arm upon the counter itself, Raisa did not panic.

"Raisa…"

Looking at the highest ranking official in the room, she said nothing as she had a feeling as to what was about to be said.

"Your claims, as you've stated, are rather…damning."

"It is not my claim only. Even you saw the remains: Charred, broken, unrecognizable."

"I have. Though you do know that you were the only one and also the first to lay a claim as to who could have brought about such anarchy which could have cost us not just a Parousian, but even your commander as well as your life could have been lost?"

"I understand that. Though who else could have done such things?"

"Until we have enough to prove your theories, no one is of the capabilities for which you speak."

"Investigation purposes?"

"Precisely, but with that out of the way, I was also stopping by to see if you needed anything to aid you in your efforts…"

Looking over her shoulder towards Abelia she added on.

"…I never expected one of our own to bring such hostility though…"

The blonde did her best to hide her embarrassment yet, it was poorly hid from them all.

"I was more concerned with Priya's safety, not mine."

"I see. How are things thus far?"

"Thus far…?"

"Your craft."

Blinking slowly, she sifted within the stool before she answered.

"There is nothing of concern. Only of how high the prices are for mere scrap."

"Prices?"

Raisa nodded. Leaning over to her left, Raisa reached down and took one of the parchments from the crates which she had read earlier and laid it upon the counter for her to read.

"Humph…"

It had taken a few seconds for Annebella to see the price. When she did, that had been her response. Looking from the parchment and to Raisa, Annebella slowly pushed the parchment back towards her as she spoke.

"How do they expect you to pay this?"

"It matters none…I will deal with it."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"There is no other choice."

"Of course there is, and if memory serves its best, I am to deliver this to you."

Giving her a rolled parchment, Raisa took it from Annebella's gloved hand and set it upon the counter.

"I will read it shortly."

Annebella caught on to this quickly.

"Oh? Well you certainly must have a plan then if you are retaining your composure."

Her voice held not only cheer; but also relief and surprise.

"I am. Why else would I be so calm about this? Did you believe Abelia breathing that of a sickly animal upon was worth tension?"

"Haha… easy now… you two need not lock horns over something as trivial as this; I've also a much more personal inquiry from the general as he was not able to make the venture this day."

Raisa furrowed a brow at this information and saw a grand opportunity to deepen trust with her.

"Personal? If he is asking for my hand in marriage, I'd have to say no to the general."

Priya's alarm was well noticed by Raisa as well as Abelia's yet, for Raisa to be so calm and so straight-forward with one of the individuals whom had taught Priya and Abelia so much; it was not only unnerving but it was also a pleasant relief that Raisa was not disrespectful towards just any official. That and for the fact that she could casually joke if she sought to do so.

"What?"

After that, the Annebella laughed. Her laugh was low yet hearty. Oddly, when compared to Archer's 'manly laugh', she outclassed him. After she had settled, her face had dropped from her earlier friendly demeanor to a more serious one.

"You do realize your claims can yield consequences for which you, yourself may not be prepared to face if your claims are brought to a forefront as well as truly investigated, do you not understand this Raisa?"

"I understand it."

"It is my duty to ensure that you do. For the loss of a fine _Specialist_ is truly a loss indeed. Especially if that said _Specialist_, has bested most of our own higher ranking officials in mere sport."

Abelia froze when she heard this. She had addressed Raisa as a lowly private when in fact, Raisa held a higher rank due to her own merit.

"I understand."

Crossing her arms once more, Raisa sat with her spine straight as she spoke her next words.

"I understand what is being said Annebella and I understand the risks. Though they all wore the mail of Grandall and they each knew our numbers and our points. Even more so, one of them shouted '_For Maletta_' before attacking me. Unless Maletta be something else which I may not know about I wager it be the country."

"I see. Why is it that you went out on your own to engage these enemies without any form of support?"

"There was not much choice Annebella. It was kill or be killed."

"So you went out on your own simply to prove that point of your own inner strength?"

Her tone had risen. If she were correct she would more than likely scream until Raisa was incapable of hearing.

"No."

Priya and Abelia both looked on to Raisa as she said that word. Abelia thought Raisa would have done so for the fact of her pride yet, she was wrong. Priya thought it was to test her own strength but she too had been proven wrong.

"I had not many choices in the matter. Upon listening to those whom had been approaching I knew they would not allow themselves to be bested with ease, so I fought when they came upon my proximity and one chose to flee. This left me with little to no choice. I either could have let them run and possibly inform their forces that I know their faction, which more than likely would have led to an all-out attack upon us all especially when _Gungnir_ had been undermanned—"

"Undermanned!?"

Annebella spun around and looked to Priya. Her gaze was similar to a wild beast that had just locked on to their prey and Priya, sheepishly nodded while giving verbal confirmation.

"Tis be true."

Raisa had uncrossed her arms and now stretched them.

"…So…"

Raisa began after being interjected.

"…that left me with the choice of pursuing them so that the rest of _Gungnir_ was not overrun."

Crossing her arms as she looked the highest ranking individual within the room in her grayish blue eyes, she continued.

"Fatuous? Sure. Reckless? Yes. Still, not one member of unit unit was killed and that is what I think truly matters."

Looking to Abelia, Raisa made a small head gesture in her direction.

"Despite dislike I've for '_Goldy Locks_', we still are of the same force and I will do what I can to ensure we all survive. Though that does not mean I have to care anything else for her aside from that."

Annebella pushed herself from the counter and turned her back to Raisa; to follow this, Annebella took a step back and after a few seconds of thought, she smiled.

"Well at least you've a decent head about your shoulders."

Rising from the counter, she began to turn away before stopping.

"Ah, I'll also look forward to a notice of who you are going to be receiving your needed parts from."

Raisa had narrowed her eyes. Annebella had already been ahead of her but, it seemed not that she had been trying to stop her. Annebella in turn, held a smile. This smile was still as warm and friendly as it was earlier.

"When you are receiving something such as what you will be getting, I do have to ensure it gets to you after all."

With both her hands upon her waist, she looked over her shoulder to the other two commanders and prepared to speak.

"Now, remember, not a word of this information about the Brigands gets out to the public. Am I clear?"

The two commanders agreed. She had not given an order but she had stated what had been passed down to her to deliver. With this message delivered, the younger commanders as well as Raisa were responsible for keeping their own mouths shut and if not, Raisa had already known what became of those who refused to listen.

Annebella now advanced towards the door and as she did, she stopped just before she was in range of reaching the doorknob.

"You may want to keep your head down as well."

Reading in between her words, Raisa slightly tensed herself.

"Are you threatening me commander?"

Annebella had partly turned and looked at the individual she had been conversing with before she spoke.

"I make no threat Raisa. I am only giving you advice, for if what you say reaches the wrong set of ears, well…you will not hear the good news I'm afraid."

With that, Annebella turned towards Abelia and Priya, yet before Raisa could question as to what she meant, Annebella addressed them both.

"There is to be a meeting by nightfall and you both are to be present. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Understood."

Abelia had answered after Priya. Looking them both over, she then smiled and bid them both her leave and then departed. Without much thought, let alone warning, Abelia took her own leave and headed in the opposing direction of Annebella.

Her gaze shifting towards Raisa, Priya observed the taller female as she began to place the parchment back within the crate which she had gotten it from. It was just before Raisa had re-adjusted herself upon the stool that she chose to say anything.

"Why must hostility be of utter ease for you?"

As Raisa slowly untied the parchment she was silent. It had been when she untied it in its entirety that she chose to answer.

"My attitude and my personality are two different things Priya."

Placing a hand on top of the counter, Raisa then propelled herself over the countertop and landed on the other side just in front of it. Within her grasp had been the rolled parchment.

"I am naturally a reserved individual who minds her own and is fairly serious about what she does while maintaining a respectable appearance and behavior."

Raisa wiped her right hand against her bottoms in order to rid them of the dust which had sullied them.

"That is my personality. My attitude simply depends on whoever I'm speaking to or around."

"I see…"

Her voice was light and Raisa could detect that Priya's voice had been heavily influence by the Spanish. It was not a bad thing whatsoever, it was simply rather different if not exotic. Then again, she was mixed with Spanish after all and her name, being Delgado was proof of that.

"What else is on your mind?"

Her commander looked to the empty shelves and bookcases as this was asked of her.

"You obviously are in no rush to change from your mail and also you must have come here to stay yet, if you are I'm afraid you have to sleep with Ky."

"What!?"

Instantly her face reddened and her shriek pierced Raisa's ears rather sharply. This outburst caused her to cover one of her ears while wincing in pain.

"Shit!"

Regaining herself, Priya covered her mouth with a hand while apologizing from behind that same hand. Watching Raisa run her index about the edge of her ear and near her lobe, Priya again apologized.

"That is the last fucking time I joke around you…"

She muttered through her teeth.

"I'm sorry…"

Sensing her commander's guilt, Raisa eased off her anger.

"Forget about it."

Looking to the Russian, Priya watched Raisa as she tilted her neck and slightly winced as it made a popping sound.

"I've a bit to do so if you something to say then say it now or…actually I will not say the rest of that…"

Her mouth slowly slid open yet, Priya shook her head.

"Tend to your duties Raisa, I'll be off."

As Priya reached for the door Raisa turned her back to her and prepared to head upstairs, however; there was something she needed to ask her.

"Priya,"

Stopping and looking to her subordinate she asked her what it was that she required.

"How will Parousia handle warring with Dalkia, Maletta, and Halteese?"

A moment of silence had passed before she could produce an answer. It was a good question and for Raisa to bring that up showed where her mind had been the duration of the caravan-ride back from the border.

"I've not an idea…"

"Well, think about it, Halteese was attacked again by Dalkia and more than half of the force behind Halteese has left them in order to form or…congregate under the king of Maletta."

"King Demuth Beelzebus Halteese."

"Beelzebus?"

Priya nodded.

"It sounds the very same as a demon."

She now looked to Raisa in a quizzical fashion.

"You're referring to faith and mythology in a sense you do know that correct?"

"Beelzebus or Beelzebub was once an angel whom had aided in the rebellion against your God if I remember my teachings right."

"Teachings?"

Priya repeated.

"You were a member of a church?"

Realizing her mistake, Raisa's tone had dropped rather sharply.

"I'd rather not speak of that."

"Oh…"

"Though that is somewhat hilarious if not ironic…"

"The fact that Demuth's name could be referenced to a fallen angel and how Halteese claims their holiness?"

"That's exactly my point."

"Mind I ask, where did you learn of such praise and religion?"

Her question was met with the same glare as earlier.

"I apologize, I'll not ask again."

"There are things that you don't speak of."

This told Priya that something had to have happened while she was within the confines of the church or wherever else she may have learned what she knows. Though at present, she knew it was not a good time to ask and even more so, Ky more than likely had asked her the same question.

"I understand and I'll not ask such a thing of you again Raisa."

Raisa said nothing.

"I'll show myself out."

Raisa blankly observed Priya as she bowed and after that, she took hold of the knob, twisted it and opened the door. It took not a second for her to shut it behind her.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, these two had been roaming through the market place of Parousia. Noémi and Ky both that is. With a coin of gold as payment, she purchased a peach while Ky on the other hand had bought a batch of strawberries which were placed in a small circular basket which Noémi had given him. They were some of the last that would be sold during the year so he thought he would try them as he had never knew of them to exist before.<p>

"Are you sure these would be good?"

"Strawberries?"

After looking to at the fruit within his hand, it then dawned on her.

"You've never had a strawberry before?"

After shaking his head, Noémi smiled.

"They are absolutely delicious!"

After that was said he prepared to place on within his mouth.

"Just don't eat the green leaves."

Ky paused and looked at her.

"I know that much. They aren't edible."

Placing the red seeded fruit upon his tongue, he gently pulled the leaves, separating them from the fruit and after that, he chewed. Sloshing the chewed fruit from cheek to cheek, Noémi took a bite of her peach and slightly jumped from the juice of the fruit which flowed into her dainty hands.

"These…are good."

After swallowing her bite of peach, which she had been chewing she smiled before she said anything, she smiled before she pointed out what she had stated earlier.

"I told you, they are heavenly."

After stripping another strawberry of its leaves, Ky popped another strawberry in his mouth. To his tongue, they were sweet, juicy, and flavorful.

"May I have one?"

Nodding, he lifted the basket so that she could reach in yet he saw that she still had her peach to eat.

"Oh, not right now but a bit later?"

Again, Ky nodded.

Progressing down the street, the two of them turned a corner and progressed uphill. Ky had been walking Noémi home. As they proceeded uphill, she looked over to the bridge. A small smirk tugged at her lips as she recalled what it meant to her.

"Do you remember what happened there?"

Looking over to where she had been pointed with her left index, Ky did what he could not to laugh.

"Well it isn't funny."

"I know, I know. Though you have to admit it kind of was."

Her face fell into disapproval.

"I don't see how you bumping into my butt was funny."

"It was funny…even though you're the one who bumped into…uh yeah…I'll just go with your explanation."

He immediately popped a strawberry into his mouth.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Nrphing."

He spoke with the fruit in his mouth, this did nothing more than distort his words.

"Ky, don't lie."

"Norfn."

At this point, Noémi stopped walking and place a hand at her hip.

"Ky Kusanagi, do NOT lie."

Blinking a few times in succession, Ky slowly began to inch upwards and away from Noémi. With this action, she took a step towards him and the process repeated itself two more times before they were interrupted.

"Aww, well isn't that sweet?"

Looking in the direction of the voice, Noémi saw it belong to a young female. After seeing her face and her dress she thought of her to be a prostitute only to quickly shake her head and convince herself that she should not judge others. While Noémi performed her worrisome ritual, the young female made her way from the dwelling over to Ky.

"What have you been up to stranger?"

Ky shook his head and still had the strawberry in his mouth. The leaves were jutting forth from his lips.

"Really, is that all Ky?"

As she now stood before him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and she smiled as she looked at the fruit within his mouth.

It was Raiko. Her hair had been let down and it hung down past her shoulders. Her earrings were of pure gold and her eyes, cheeks, and lips were covered in cosmetics. As she spoke to him, Ky looked down as he had not much a choice due to their height difference. Raiko was shorter than Raisa and as she hugged his waist and looked up to him, he looked down to see her face only to be distracted by her breasts.

"Uh…"

She wore a robe which showed her bare shoulders, her back, and most importantly, her breasts. Raiko was slightly lighter than Raisa in complexion and another thing which was different between them was their respective figures. Raiko's breasts were far larger than Raisa's and often males joked about how Raisa's "_mosquito bites_" are nothing compared to Raiko's "_succulent melons_".

"Hmm, what's that you've got there?"

Raiko's robe was a custom. It had been integrated as the top half of a pareo. This meant that she could reveal her legs far easier than the standard robe and Ky knew that.

"N-nothing…"

Was Ky's response. Raiko had been pressing herself against his phallus for the past few seconds and the more excited he had gotten the redder his face turned; and for his complexion one would think he could not blush but if they were to think that, they were wrong.

"I don't believe that."

She had a light sultry Russian accent while Raisa's had been heavier and of course, lacked that sultry aspect which was present in Raiko's voice. Additionally, Raiko was also shorter than Raisa by a single inch.

"Ky what are you two—"

Noémi was cut off by Raiko's actions and as she watched them, Raiko stood upon her toes and kissed Ky's chin which sent chills up his spine. Following this kiss had been her tongue, which she ran from his chin up to the strawberry. As she locked eyes with him, she stared into his light brown eyes while he stared into her seductive eyes of jade. Wrapping her lips around the half of the strawberry which jutted from his mouth, Raiko playfully licked his nether lip before pulling the strawberry from his mouth with her own.

"Wait, what the…"

Pulling herself away from Ky, she could smiled while Ky stood in place frozen with shock. All the while, he did not notice that Raiko had made off with more than a handful of his strawberries.

"Take care Ky."

With her playful smile and her revealing clothing it was difficult for him to think entirely straight at this point; though it took one well-placed slap to the back of his neck which brought him back to reality.

* * *

><p>Sitting within the comfort of her room, Raisa continued on with her list. She had been sitting at a small desk and writing down the things which needed to be done and if she were going to be away for a couple days then it would be up to Ky to have at least one of these things completed by the time she were to return. So far she had:<p>

Clean the front area: Wipe down the counter, bookshelves, and sweep the floor.

Clear the back room of any clutter, sweep the back room floor.

Wipe down the windows in the front and back room

That is what she had so far. When it came to things on the upper levels, she had already made plans for that and she would be the one to do it. There had been two separate rooms which were not in use and as far as she knew; Ky's room had not a bath.

Raisa thought it essential if a bath be placed in one of the empty rooms. In that case, he could have an area to bathe. She looked over to Ky's door and thought it a good idea. After all, he immediately offered her the upper area while he took the smaller and more cramped room. So her first order of business would be to make one of those rooms an area for him to bathe. The other room which would remain empty could be used for personal storage for either her or him or quite possibly both.

"Hell…"

She muttered as she laid down her quill.

"This is going to be a painstakingly long weekend…"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter IV End<strong>

_End Notes:_

Noémi is a devoted Christian who met Ky before his imprisonment.

Noémi is the French spelling of Naomi.

Raiko is the younger sister of Raisa and is also much more 'built' is certain areas of her body than Raisa as well.

Raisa and Raiko are bi-racial, being of Russian and Chinese mixture.

Annebella outranks both Priya and Abelia. This is why when Annebella speaks; neither of them dares to interject.


	6. Act: I Chapter: V

**Act: I**

**Chapter: V**

* * *

><p>Falling out in the middle of his bed, he did not feel like getting up, let alone moving. He was exhausted from the day's toil as well as dealing with Raisa, Raiko, and Noémi. Noémi was infuriated with him due to his reaction towards Raiko and it seemed that she would hold that grudge even though there was of no true meaning why she would hold one against him. Of course, <em>Lust <em>is one of the Venial Sins when it came to Christian beliefs. Though, he was in control of himself, Noémi was still disappointed with him.

"That woman is far from pure…"

Looking over to Ky, she took slow steps towards him and as she did such, she looked at his face. Ky was blushing. With his complexion she thought not of him to be capable of such a thing yet, she was proven wrong. He had also watched Raiko as she entered her dwelling and with each and every step she took, his eyes followed. Her clothing fit her form well enough to see practically every curve her body had.

"Ky!"

Her voice was barely enough yet, she was able to bring him back to his senses.

"W—what?"

His face had still been flushed and as he looked down to her height, he could see her irritation despite how calm she had appeared.

"What doth it be that you see in her?"

"I—"

"Do it be her feminine shape?"

"I—"

"Is it her scantily dressed body?"

"No—"

"Why doth man be so given to a woman when she reveals a bare breast only relish chaining her as he so sees fit? Have it be you no shame or is it merely your lust which you are incapable of restraining?"

"Noémi, I didn't do anything! You saw her come to me and do…"

Ky had noticed that he had been raising his voice and as such, he looked to the ground while dropping his arms to his sides.

It had been a few seconds before either of them had said a word and Noémi could see that he did in fact regret what had just transpired. With this acknowledgement, she calmed herself before she said another word.

"It be best if you stay away from…that."

As she made a hand motion towards Raiko's dwelling, Ky watched her hand as it twirled.

"You're being rather uh…cold aren't you?"

He had been referring to the fact that Noémi referred to Raiko as a '_that'_ and not an individual. This is not how she saw it though. After Ky had asked her his question, her calm had vanished far quicker than it had come.

"And YOU think not with your mind!"

Ky slightly jumped due to her high pitched voice.

"I don't believe you could be attracted to such a…a…UGH!"

With her last ear-piercing outburst, she stormed off. Heel to toe she had been in her pace and with each step a small cloud of dust puffed forth only to return to the surface. Although he had made a quick closure in distance, she demanded to walk alone due to his _repulsive lust_.

"I'm not repulsive. I just…"

His voice trailed. Despite the fact that he had been speaking to his pillow, he cared none. Truth is, Ky had never had that much attention from a female before and with the way Raiko looked and how she had been dressed. It was rather striking to him. Striking of course, being an understatement. Gathering himself from what had transpired hours ago, Ky slowly sat upright and once he did he reached behind him. His arm at a bend, he felt atop the shelf for the object he sought.

"Where is it…?"

Sliding his hand across the shelf above his bed, his fingers soon nudged a small key. Drawing it into his grasp by dragging it with his index and ring finger, Ky then stood and took a few short steps over to the desk which was within his room. Pulling out the chair and sitting himself down, a sigh escaped him.

"Not a better time to write something right?"

With his joke falling on none but his ears, Ky unlocked the drawer to his left and then slowly opened it. Within it had been a small journal. Inside of it had been a quill and a few small jars of ink. Taking up his quill and an ink jar with the same hand, he set the jar upon the desk top and then opened the lid. With his left hand, he not only held but also dipped the quill tip into the jar.

"_Today is the twentieth…"_

With this reminder, he lifted his arm and then hovered over the blank pages of the journal. Recounting within his mind, he quickly placed quill to page.

_Entry 15~_

_September the 22nd_

_1605 A.D~_

He drew pause. Before he wrote anything down he wanted it to be titled. If it were titled he would then know what brought about his thoughts for such writing. After a moment's thought, the day's events had given him his answer. To be more direct, it had been what exactly a portion of his being had been deemed.

**-**_**Repulsive Lust**_**-**

"_As men do, they see between her legs and what they see lies what just about every man seems to want. It's a place which she should be able to call her own and never think of sharing it as a home to another."_

"_As I watch, with thyne eyes of sheer innocence and thyne mind filled with gleaming ardency, I observe and feel that their true want is nothing more than to be filled with pleasure. Whether it be day or night matters none to these men and it seems that no matter how pure the woman, the man simply wants her as his own personal prize."_

"_I don't understand them. After they feel as if they have defiled her enough, the man walks away satisfied while she, the woman, feels used and abused. The breasts she has, they gain stares from the strong men that fight and even kill each other simply for a touch, yet, in actuality, neither of them shall even lay a finger upon her. Reason be, she is no whore. You as the powerful man you are, you force her into this lifestyle."_

"_Has one ever wanted to cease their ocular rape of her and see her as more than a sexual release? A mere fantasy to be had for one night and with that, vanish into that same night. Never to be seen or heard from again. Perhaps, with yet another woman about to do the same thing and when his old flame runs into them and protests his desires, she is made the fool, the liar, the panderer, and the whore."_

"_Will more than the few good men that actually remain see the general woman as nothing more than another human being instead of your mere disposal? Have you ever thought of staying with her more than just a month or however long you feel it takes for you to undress her and defile her as you wish? Perhaps even spending your life with her? Have any of you ever thought about doing that?"_

This was how he had spent most of his days. With Raisa doing whatever it was she did, Ky kept to his lonesome and wrote within his small journal. In this journal were his thoughts, his hopes, his dreams, but most importantly, his poetic expression lie within this journal of his. Placing it back within the drawer of the desk he sat at, he slowly pushed the drawer shut and after he shut it, he inserted the key which was meant for the drawer. Twisting it and locking the drawer, a sigh escaped him as he pushed himself from the desk and stood.

"Life knows no sympathy, let alone mercy now does it?"

Pushing the chair back underneath the desk, Ky walked over to his bed yet, he had not the urge to lie down, he instead placed the key on the shelf which was nailed into the wall above his bed. He felt torn ever since he had awoke in the middle of the night.

* * *

><p>"Why're you packing?"<p>

"Why worry of it?"

"W—I'm going to be here by myself I think I need to know where you're gonna go Raisa."

"No, you don't."

"And why not?"

Raisa slammed her hand against the counter as she sighed. Looking at him, her face clearly expressed the fact that she did not want to explain but now she was left with no choice—lest she render Ky unconscious; though that would not look good within anyone's eyes.

"You will be the downfall if I tell you."

After this was said, she resumed placing objects into a bag of some sort. Ky could not see what she had been taking yet he was able to see that she was not looking at him at the moment.

"Your what?"

"Downfall, weakness, frailty, disease; I need not tell you anything. Why?"

Raisa now cocked her head in his direction and her glare was enough to force him to take a few steps in retreat for his own safety.

"Simple, you will have me discovered if you are questioned we both know you will never survive let alone keep my whereabouts silent if you were tortured."

Sadly, she had been absolutely right. Ky had never been beaten in that fashion and he had never been tortured. Yet that would not stop him from wanting to at least know what was going on.

"That isn't a reason at all!"

His outburst drew her attention yet, she knew full well he knew not what he had been asking. No matter what he thought he was asking; he was oblivious to what he truly had been asking.

"Oh? What reason do you have that I should tell you?"

Her green eyes studied him as his brown eyes darted about the room.

"I…"

"…Cannot provide answer which is proof enough."

After Raisa shouldered her sack, she hopped over the counter and made her way for the door. This sack was barely filled with anything which alluded to much more than simply running away. It was just before she reached for the doorknob that Ky had finally said something.

"I thought we were friends Raisa."

Halting in her tracks, she innately sighed while mentally cursing.

"…Friends huh…"

"So that we could look after each other, I mean, we are in this together right?"

After a slight pause Ky continued.

"We've got to stick together or neither of us will make it out of here and if we run it'll only be a matter of time before they hunt us down if we're by ourselves or together."

Looking over her shoulder, he could see her frown against the dimly lit candle of the front room. It had been within the middle of the night now and the torches outside had not been lit. So the only source of light had been this candle which silently burned as it revealed little to their eyes. A few objects stood out. The right side of the counter for instance yet, further down towards Raisa had been indescribable. Raisa herself appeared almost a featureless silhouette. The moon itself had also been covered due to the overcast of clouds.

Looking at him, she could see his worry. Despite his religion, he acted different from those whom were born within the walled city. Raisa had initially chalked this to foreign influence. It was common knowledge that Japan was one of the main targets for Franciscan missionaries as of late. Before them had been those of Portugal which were a success as they had converted several of the Japanese to Christianity. Raisa also knew that Toyotomi Hideyoshi banned those very same missionaries due to them bringing about their foreign religion. To follow this, the missionaries continued to go against the current law of the land; therefore, Toyotomi executed twenty-six of them as a warning. Those executions had taken place just eight years ago.

"_When things were still right…"_

He had even been sweating due to how warm it had been within their shared dwelling. His hair was a mess and it danced about with nearly every move he made. This had also been one of the few times she had ever saw him without mail of any sort. He was slender. Ky wore a sleeveless cotton shirt and leather leggings as his attire for slumber. One could tell he was young by how little of him there truly was. Most men were several times Ky's physique.

"_A humorous child…"_

With her silence, she silently accepted the term as well as the invitation of friendship.

"The prices they want and the prices they accept are too much for us to pay, so I'm getting the supplies we need while spending a hell of a lot less than what we would be paying if we bought from Grandallian handlers."

"…"

With his silence, Ky understood her. She was not trying to run as he had initially thought. She was trying to look out for not only herself but him as well and she wanted to undermine Grandall while she did it.

"I'll be back before the declarations are made."

"_The Declarations…"_

He echoed within his mind.

This was the event that Raisa had predicted ever since the incident at the border. Of course, all Raisa had were nothing more than ideas and theories; yet, even Annebella and General Girardot shared some of her ideas. Despite her lack of evidence, a senior, well, more than a senior, a general of the Grandallian army had backed her claims and that same general brought their fears to the emperor. Of course, that emperor did nothing more than claim their thoughts as mere worry and that they need not fear of anything. Dalkia and Halteese are waging their own war and Grandall would stay out of it as always; though Grandall had always given a few of their troops to Dalkia which would strengthen their forces.

This was true, but Dalkia did not want to involve Grandall in their affairs; at least when it came to war. Therefore, Dalkia had those whom were of Grandallian origin don Dalkian armor and fought under the guise as a Dalkian sergeant, commander, and other ranks. As this went on, Parousia was never linked to any joint attack with Dalkian forces. That is how Parousia lived in peace for so long.

"…now peace is going to shatter…it will be quick when whoever triggers an all-out attack or rather, a free for all. Hell, way I see it, if Dalkia wars against us, both being the more powerful of the four kingdoms in a _kill for survival_ and dominance, Maletta will try to undermine us. After either Parousia or Dalkia bleeds out the last one standing could be anyone."

Those were the last words Raisa had said to Ky before she took her leave.

* * *

><p>It had been two days since Raisa had left. She had left in the middle of the night and Ky knew first hand that it would be an opportune time to do so. The soldiers on guard were normally too drunk to tell a male from a female and Ky also knew first hand that this had happened before. The only thing he disliked was that due to the length of his hair, he had been mistaken for that female though Archer was with him which placed them both in a rather awkward position.<p>

Archer had posed as his or in this case, _her_ significant other. The soldiers wanted to see proof though, Archer simply scooped Ky into his arms as if they were newlyweds and left with him. After getting far enough away from the Keep, Ky was set back down upon his feet and they both had agreed to never speak of such things even though Archer found it rather hilarious.

Ky had spent the idle time alone, alone. He had not met anyone else aside from those of _Gungnir_ and _Exodus_ and quite frankly he knew Meiga had been either sleeping or possibly at the Svipul. Ky wanted not to trek there again. The people were loud, the scent of alcohol was nauseating, and worst of all had been the fact that the barkeep enjoying bothering him.

It had been two hours before dusk when his solitude had been intruded upon.

At the moment the door opened, he had been sweeping the front area just as Raisa had asked for him to do in her absence. Looking to the individual whom had entered their home, he immediately stopped what he was doing and stared.

"Hallo."

She stood roughly five feet and her voice was youthful, but heavenly.

"Um, hello…?"

An aketon covered her upper body. The cloth had been pink while the covering of her torsi and breasts had been that of basic leather. The lace which held her aketon together had also been pink with a small lined design which was white. The accent of her aketon had also been white. Her skirt had been slit in design and by the way she had been standing he could see her right thigh. The skirt was white in its base yet it had a pink floral pattern about it; a floral pattern was the least of it, towards the white frills of her aketon had been the design of red thorns. There had also been the design of a rose to the left of her skirt.

"Are you okay?"

Snapping from his idleness and wiping a small amount of saliva from his mouth, Ky did what he could to stay focused.

"Y—yeah, I'm alright. I'm alright, uh, how are you?"

His voice was less stable than a cradle swaying to and fro amidst the treetops during a storm.

"I'm doing good! Though I thought this was where the Seer was."

"Seer…?"

"A Seer is one who can read you your fortune."

The blonde placed a finger to her chin as she looked towards the ceiling.

"They're known as Seers or Fortune Tellers or Readers."

Now she pointed the same finger at Ky while looking at him.

"Y'know that sort of thing if you want some part of your life known or predicted…"

"Oh…"

A few seconds of silence hung in the air and as she stood in the doorway she scratched her head. What made Ky all the more suspicious had been the fact that as she scratched, her face showed just how relax and happy she had been. Even odder had been that she had stuck her tongue out her mouth as she scratched her head.

"Um…did you…want something?"

The female instantly stopped scratching her head and looked at Ky. She had froze in place as she looked at him and he knew not if he was not to interrupt her as she scratched or if she had been thinking. Or she possibly could have been lost for words; or all three.

Yet his plans would change as she slightly bent forward and placed both her hands on her hips.

"You wanna get your fortune read?"

"Huh?"

"Your fortune. Y'know, the thing with Seers and Readers and Fortune Tellers I just told you about?"

"Eh, uh…"

Ky looked to the floor and knew it was not near being finished, though he did not want to be rude either. As he pondered about his choices, he looked at this female before him. She stood upright with her hands at her hips. Her smile was warm and from there, her blue eyes were watching him. Possibly hoping he would agree to go with her.

"_I could just come back and finish up. It isn't like I can't do that, but then again if Raisa comes back she'll be mad. Though, she did just up and leave without much an explanation. Well, she gave one but it was only after I pressed for an answer."_

"Well~?"

"_I guess I can but I can't be gone that long. Not only that, if I do go, I'd need to watch out for her to."_

Looking down to Achilla's height of five feet, he was about to decline her offer until he looked into her eyes. They were rather large and reflected the candlelight around her. Even more to this had been her sad puppy face which when introduced to Ky's light heart changed his answer in less than five seconds.

"I guess I can take you but—"

"YAY!"

Her voice was loud enough to rattle the glass bottles which sat atop the counter behind him; let alone the fact that he covered one of his ears. As she leapt in the air she thanked him repeatedly and to follow this after she touched down to the floor, she entered further into his home and took hold of his free hand.

"C'mon let's go!"

* * *

><p>As they stood, they both waited in a line. Before them had been a small tent which the two of them awaited to enter. The air was slightly chilled and the people were as busy as ever. With winter approaching, many people were making last minute deals on food and even clothing while others simply were window shopping.<p>

As she looked around, she could see several people in the midst of conversation. Some spoke of trading while others spoke of nonsense. Looking to the taller female in front of her, she stepped to this taller female's left and as she was acknowledged, she smiled cheerfully.

"Thank you for coming with me."

Her gratitude was met with a scoff.

"I don't believe you dragged me to this heap of trash."

"Be still sister and do pay attention."

"To what? This drivel which is to know me better than which I know myself?"

"Exactly."

Surina frowned at Priya's response.

"Well, I did tend to your horse so you do owe the favor dear."

"Bah, as I see it's nothing but pointless muck when it comes to things here."

"Please do keep calm. All that matters is that you promised a favor and tis the favor that you owe. All is fair so long as you keep your promise."

"Aye, aye, it will be kept. You need not remind me of it. Lest you forget that I do keep my promises."

"To me you do."

"Hm?"

"I've not forgotten the promise you made to Kagami."

"Kagami?"

"You promised you would allow him to well—"

"Oh god no. I'll not let that old crusted and decrepit pervert begin to attempt to amaze me only to place me within his bed."

"He only be within—"

"I refuse such a cruel punishment."

Priya stifled her laughter as Surina looked away.

"Stern are we sister?"

Surina scoffed as she now turned her entire body in the opposing direction.

"Aw, is she upset? Would you like to be fed child?"

"Enough."

"Oh no; you, ever so eager to criticize other must not be thin to your own dosage dear sister."

Surina looked over her shoulder to her younger sister. She held a smile as wide and as warm as the sun yet her eyes were as straight as a dagger's edge. Surina prepared to speak yet before she could do so, she caught sight of a pale hand. This hand slowly pulled back the red drapes and from behind the drapes, a female stood.

"I shan't enjoy this…one bit…"

As Surina stated this fact, a couple walked out of the tent and were holding hands as they passed Priya and Surina.

Priya gently pushed Surina forward and was not surprised when Surina used her weight to cease Priya's forceful means.

"It's your turn."

Sneering at the verbal reminder, Surina marched forth and entered the small tent; muttering words of disgust and hatred with every step she took. As she entered, the female slowly allowed the drapes to conceal the entrance once more.

"_She'll enjoy it. I do know that she will."_

Standing outside and waiting, Priya looked behind her and saw that a few other people had begun to line up behind her. She had been out and about with Surina within one of the shopping districts of the city. Seers, entertainers, travellers, of all kinds had been a common sight when this time of year had come about. With winter setting in, they were giving various offers to deals as well as looking for work.

It was a rather pleasant sight to see since the guard had been in place and have made no arrests thus far. Taking a deep breath, Priya could smell something delightful. She wanted to investigate, however; she would then lose her spot in line. It was Priya's idea after all to wander about the city in order to enjoy the sights and also to get Surina away from training for at least a few hours.

"Milady, you do look quite astonishing this day."

Turning her attention to the voice which emanated from behind her, she saw that it was yet another whom had attempted to woo her. He was taller than her and his hair ran down to his shoulders in a neat and slick fashion. He was fairly muscular and he even had a neatly trimmed moustache yet, Priya gently denied him.

"I thank you kind sir, yet, I be afraid your flattering doth fall on resting ears."

Polite he was. He bowed and apologized for disturbing her and after that was done he had taken her hand and lightly kissed it.

"I can only pray that one day you shall see me for the true man I am Milady."

Watching him turn and leave her to her own, Priya could see several females ogling his very form. He paid them no mind as he vanished into the crowd.

"_Thrice he has attempted such with words."_

It was true. This was the third time he had approached her this month. She knew not why he was determined as he was especially when she denied him two times prior. Ignoring the fact for now, Priya turned her eyes back to the tent before her.

Priya wore long stringed boots which came up to her thigh, a long flowing white skirt which came to her ankles, and a simple frilled tunic. Her hair had been let down and her bangs were treated in the form of two small drills. She wore no cosmetics yet she was often approached in this fashion by several males only to turn them down.

She was not searching for anyone at this point in her life. She soon would be twenty-one years of age while Surina had just made her twenty-second year of life. Priya thought herself to be rather young to be involved with anyone yet if the right person had come then she may possibly make an exception. Yet, as of late, it seemed to be her status which gained her the attention which she had been receiving lately.

As she awaited her sister to be finished with her tarot reading, she wondered if she would ever find one whom did not want her due to her status.

"_It be possible. Tis be not should I think of myself to never marry. Though it be a long time before I do marry no matter the desire for it I have. Life rarely rewards and when it does tis oft very little."_

As she thought this, it made sense to remain optimistic yet; a part of her wanted that form of affection. Even though she knew of her duties as well as the time it would take to nurture such feelings as well as the individual.

"Ugh."

Lightly shaking her head, Priya dismissed the moments spent on her innermost thoughts and she did this just in time to. Surina had emerged from the tent and when she did, she seemed rather pleased.

"It has gone well?"

"A goddam Crow."

"A…crow?"

"A Crow; the bearer of Death."

"Ah…tis be not terrible Surina."

"Terrible?"

Her sister looked to her in confusion.

"It means that I am Death, why would you think it be negative?"

"Y—you are proud that your inner guide is a marker of Death?"

"Of course. Now, you are the next one in line and the reason I've ventured thus far, so you, go and receive your tarot."

As this was said to her, Priya noticed that the same female stood with the drapes drawn back.

"I shall."

"Good, for if you don't, you owe it to be the target."

After giving a rather awkward and nervous laugh, Priya wasted no time in distancing herself from Surina. Surina was a terrible archer and for Priya to be the target was not something that she wanted to do. The training exercise itself was based on striking the apple and around the apple had been a human silhouette. Surina aimed for the groin and struck that area with several arrows several times in succession. In the end, Priya did not want to be a target.

As she took confident steps, Priya was welcomed into the small tent.

"_That does give me thought…"_

As her mind drifted to that of her tarot, Surina stood off to the side as her mind continued to wander.

"_The Crow refuses to cling to the past and self-development is unnervingly natural. Slowly adapting to what comes forth and of course, what be wrought. As a Death I am to excel even while under the most arduous of tasks while tasks of the heart are most…unfortunate." _

A slight moment of unease had begun to wash over her as she recalled the earlier years of her life. Yet just as Priya had done, she eluded her thoughts and focused on something else.

* * *

><p>As flame erupted from his mouth, Ky jumped back while Achilla clapped and cheered. The young female which had Ky stop what he was doing earlier was name Achilla. She was born near Greece and her name reflected that fact. Yet, it could be true and it could not be, though Ky doubted that she would lie to him. He was unsure of why but she was trustworthy.<p>

"What should we do next?"

She stood not even a foot from him and she was brimming with excitement. Her eyes were wide and her smile was even wider.

"Looking for the Seer? Remember?"

She looked at her with a blank expression for a moment. Second later she hopped on one foot while lifting her other to a bend. At the same time she victoriously raised her arm in straight into the air with her fist balled.

"Oh yeah! Let's go!"

He shook his head as few looked towards them due to her outburst. Shortly after this, the pair made their way down the street, the clicking and clacking of her heels echoed where all could hear. She wore hosiery and a pink garter upon each thigh. Her heels had white roses near their toe which were not to match the small pink roses in her hair.

Stopping for a second, she asked a passerby where the Seer had been located. Ky scratched the back of his head and as he did, he looked to the setting sun. He exhaled and when he did, he could see his breath.

"I wonder what winter is like here…"

This would be his first winter outside of Hokkaido. Normally around this time he had been finishing the last of his deliveries so that he could spend the rest of the cold months indoors. Ky was not a fan of cold weather and those who were, he found them to be strange.

"It's beautiful huh?"

Without looking at her, he nodded once.

"It is."

At that point the scent of food caught his nose. He looked over and saw Achilla with a small plate, a wooden fork, and flavored meat.

"W—where'd you get that?"

"Hrmph?"

Her mouth was full as she looked upwards to him. A few bites later, she swallowed the portion of food which was in her mouth and sighed.

"The man I asked for directions."

After she said that she lifted a small piece of meat and prepared to eat it but Ky asked her yet another question.

"So where do we go?"

Staring at him with the meat halfway in her mouth and the fork slightly shaking, she then slowly closed her mouth and pulled the fork from her mouth. To follow this, she began to chew.

"Achilla…"

Setting the fork in her small plate, she pointed off towards her right and with this same hand; she took hold of his right hand and led him to where their next destination was.

* * *

><p>The inside of this tent was rather dark. Candles a plenty were placed about the table as well as on the around it. Shadows waltzed about as she surveyed her environment and it was only when she was directed to have a seat which she temporarily ceased her observations.<p>

Priya ran her hands underneath her buttocks and down past her thighs as she lowered herself into her seat. Upon sitting down within the wooden chair, she immediately observed the table before her. Running a hand across the fine material she marveled at the fact that it had been velvet which lay across the table before her.

"_If only we possessed such fine material."_

Looking beyond the velvet, Priya took notice to a dark object which was placed within the center of the table. There had been an indentation as if the table were designed specifically for this purpose. It probably was, yet Priya was more focused on the object itself. Reaching out to touch the object, she wondered what it would feel like, yet she was halted before she could make contact.

"Please,"

As this was said Priya withdrew her hand.

"Do not touch it."

"I apologize."

With a small bow, the female before her looked at her. Priya herself felt slightly ashamed for she had not even noticed the female sitting before her. Yet at the same time, she was positive that she had been the only person at the end of the tent.

"Mannerisms are not required. You simply need not place your hands upon something which is not yours."

With this additional instruction, Priya placed her hands within her lap and looked away from the female which sat across from her. Priya disliked making mistakes such as this and quite frankly, these kinds of mishaps occurred often.

"Your name?"

Her voice was light. Looking to the female, Priya was transfixed upon her features. She was pale. Even within the poorly lit tent, she was able to see that her hair was white and her eyes appeared to be a deep red or brown. Priya believed them to be a deep brown for red was an impossible color for an eye. She wore a beaded hood over her head which held roses at her collarbone.

"Tis Priya…"

It appeared as if she were wearing a dress yet from where she was sitting, Priya could not be positively correct about that. Immediately after she spoke her name, the object before her began to glow. As the object brightened, Priya was able to see the object as an orb. It silently glistened a beautifully a bright blue as the Seer looked Priya in her eyes before she spoke.

"Ah, a Delgado descendant…"

With this said, she now had Priya's full attention. Despite the fact that she was known throughout the country, for a stranger to immediately speak of her father and her lineage; she was impressed while also intrigued. Even more so had been the fact that the orb gave off its own illumination.

"I would like you to select a card."

Saying this, she laid six cards upon the velvet.

"You will choose the one which fits you best."

"May I ask your opinion of what you believe I am, or will choose?"

A second of silence passed as the Seer stared at Priya. The female appeared to be staring into Priya's soul and as she stared, her hands continued to dance about the orb.

"Your significator is the Queen of Swords."

"Hm."

Placing her hand above the card at her right, she changed her mind and chose the card at the opposing end only to change that and chose the card within the middle. Upon flipping it over, Priya looked at the card. It was of a woman adorned with a crown and in her right hand, had been a sword.

"As I said, you are the Queen of Swords."

Reaching her dainty pale hands across the velvet, the Seer took the cards and added them to the full deck but not before revealing the other cards which were not chosen. This was done to prove that the Seer was not a cheat.

After selecting a new set of cards, the Seer laid them about the table. Priya looked at the pattern the cards were in and smirked.

"The Twisting Path."

The Seer hesitated before she answered.

"That is correct. Though I doubt one who loves mythology to not have the slightest of interest within tarot."

Priya said nothing. She had not voiced her interests to many other than Surina and Annebella; for a stranger to know that caused a sense of uneasiness to wash over her.

"Now select your cards one at a time. I shall tell you their meaning."

Nodding, Priya looked to the card which was closest to her and reached for it yet she then hesitated.

"_There could be things I wish not to know, yet, what shall transpire shall transpire…"_

Breaking her idleness, Priya flipped the card so that she could see it.

"The card of the lower left, which you have just uncovered, represents _the first decision_ along your path. _Four of Coins_, for you, means power: Using your power freely for your own enjoyment and the betterment of others. This card also means that you are able to understand your current position and how to use your merit and position to attain what you wish. You are capable of finding security and identity in places other than that of the possession of material things in life. You struggle with letting others go forth to find their own path for you wish to encourage then to move forth while being able to guide them as if they were your own. If you retain yourself, your purity shall continue to be magnanimous and generous with your success."

"You are saying I must stay true to myself in order to achieve what I truly doth seek?"

"Precisely."

Laying her fingertips upon the next card which was the farthest card to the left and also above The First Decision, Priya flipped the card and looked at it. The Seer also looked at the card, though despite it being upside down from her angle, she still knew what it was.

"The card to the far left represents the first false path. This is the path which is very capable of leading you astray from your true path in life. _The__Six of Batons_: Is a sense of honor and satisfaction at the resolution of an important matter. Yet you are implored to know that you must differentiate between personal honor as well as true honor. Either or shall reap triumph after a great struggle, but do be warned of my earlier implore. This card is also the meaning of jubilation at the hearing of good news as well as anything which may benefit you or another which you care for. This card is even recognized as the realization of hopes and desires."

"Personal Honor…that is nothing short of Pride; is it not?"

"You are correct."

"Pride doth lead to several mishaps in one's life and I be not the prideful individual."

"All being alive and dead bear pride."

The Seer interlaced her fingers and rested her chin upon them. Her elbows were placed upon the velvet and she looked on with empty and observing eyes.

"Pride within one's name, Pride within one's trade, Pride within one's abilities, Pride within anything can be perverted into the sins that your god dislike. That is of course an entirely different conversation."

With that said, Priya then unveiled the third card.

"The card in the middle represents the second decision which is of vital importance in your life. Along your path, you will be tasked with several choices which shall carry not only you, but others. This card itself is also known as _L'Etoile_.

"_The Star_?"

The Seer's smirk slowly widened and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Yes, it is known as the star. New hopes shall arise as well as needed revelations which shall bring forth your future. Insight which you carry to guide others in their lowest and darkest times, the inspiration to carve your own fate while preserving the wellness and fates of others; courage for standing against adversity and enlightenment of the spiritual self so that you progress with and unswaying and impure judgment. Both body and mind must be aligned in order to surpass your own lusts which if you are capable and succeed, you shall bask within the moon's light until the end of your days."

Before she placed her hand upon the next card, the Seer spoke once more.

"I implore you, if you seek not that of others and survive by your own will for your own gain, you shall drown within the wine of the coming moon and your life shall end on a dark time. Your next card if you will?"

Priya took this as a life or death scenario, yet the Seer held the most disturbing of grins. It was without hesitation that Priya flipped the card at the lower right.

"This card, for you, represents the second false path that may lead you astray. _Reyne de Coupe_: As you are born within December, your categorization amongst the elements is of water. While being the essence of water, you bear a deep and passionate flare which most cannot reach. Your maturity guides you through the turbulence of life while your grace enchants the hearts of even the wicked beasts of the raging seas. The moon allows you to be motherly to those you care for and with the territory of being a mother; you are a counselor as well as a healer. All in all, you are one who is relaxed. Your presence embodies deep love and spirituality. Though, despite your talents, a tranquil poet who reflects the nature of the observer is to say the least of you. Take the time to embrace all things dreamlike and receptive, such as perfect, unconditional, as well as unrequited love."

This brought ease to her mind. Priya knew that life has its choices yet, some choices were harder to make than others. If love is being brought into the forefront of the choices which she is beginning to think of let alone what she had been told, then she had been concerned for her non-existent love life.

"Your last card please?"

Reaching to the last card which was face down, Priya flipped the card and looked at it for it appeared to be rather strange. It was an image of a man with a sword and to follow this, he had been mounted atop a horse. Priya instantly thought of war by this card yet, not all things witnessed by the eye are true as they are to the mind.

"The final card within your _Twisted Path_ represents one possible mask of your true destination. _Cavalier d'Epee_: A fearless and skilled warrior who is unfettered by emotion or material concerns. You will meet very few of these individual whom most shall be allied to you in a fashion. You will be able to boldly take forth the challenges which are brought before you despite how terrifying they are. It is through pain which you shall learn this. You are to be awe inspiring yet pure within your heart as well as your fierce intellect. A swift end can be brought to many of the conflicts which shall befall your people but a decisive and swift and wise decision shall bring many a life into the world while other shall perish."

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour later, the pair had finally located the area where the Seer resided. Unfortunately, they were too late. Citizens had begun to disperse and the drapes about the tent itself were being taken down.<p>

"Aww…their closing up."

"I think they might be back up and running tomorrow though."

He was trying to be optimistic yet to no avail. Achilla began to sulk and her once jubilant and bubbly personality seemed to retract.

"Hey, come on, there's gotta be something else you wanted to do?"

She groaned, yet when she turned her head her demeanor changed instantly.

"You!"

"Yeah, me…wait what?"

Realizing what she had said and what he possibly just agreed to, Ky froze; however, Achilla was not paying attention to what he had said let alone what he was doing. Achilla had bolted from where she stood and through several people only to come to a stop in front of another individual. Ky could not even see her form due to how fast she had been running.

"How can she move than fast in heels…?"

As he asked this aloud, he started along the path so that he could catch up to her; though as she disappeared from sight, he was still able to hear the clicking and clacking of her heels striking the stone streets as if they were attempting to pierce them.

"Heeeeeey~!"

Slowing her pace, the hooded female slowly turned around and watched Achilla as she closed the distance.

"Curiosity was always the one who killed of the cat…"

Slowing down before she reached the Seer, Achilla's joy quickly returned from her earlier gloom.

"Are you the Fortune Teller w—"

"Which read those whose lives are intertwined by all and by none?"

"It is you!"

With a warm smile, she did not turn as Ky caught up to the two of them. The Seer calmly turned her head in his direction and as she studied him, her eyes narrowed, yet this went unnoticed by Ky.

"Hey, Ky! You can get your fortune read now."

As he looked at the Seer, he saw that she was shorter than him. That and her skin had been rather pale. She wore a dress and along with it had been a long hood, sleeves which were not attached to the dress, and lastly were her heels and hose.

Despite her findings, Ky had his doubts. Of course, as Achilla rushed just to catch up with this person, who could not openly say she had been one to deceive him.

"Well, before mine, would you mind doing a sight for my friend?"

"Friend? Is it that you wish not to admit it is for yourself?"

Her red eyes were that of frozen daggers as they pierced him. This made him slightly uneasy, yet he stood his ground.

"I'm asking for both actually."

Pulling a small leather pouch from his pocket, he held it within his left hand and then pulled the string to loosen the tie.

"That is not necessary."

He looked at her with confusion while Achilla did the same.

"A—are you sure?"

"A reading for your friend as you have said, yet, is she this friend?"

Without looking to Achilla, the Seer had in fact been referencing her.

"N—no, she isn't it's someone else."

"Where is this friend?"

"She…"

His voice trailed.

"If she is not present you could go by other means. Have you an object of hers?"

Ky shook his head yet, then he dove his hand into his right pocket.

"Will this do?"

As he presented the parchment with chores upon it, the Seer took hold of it and ran four fingers across it.

"It doesn't have to be an in-depth thing just something quick."

"If that be the case then she should give the tarots by form of an animal."

"Animal tarots?"

Looking down to Achilla, he found her to be watching the Seer.

"There are several tarots which can be given. We as humans react and even act in the same fashion as some animals do. So an animal tarot is not uncommon."

"Okay…"

Her attitude and even her voice reflected a more educated and disciplined side of her. Ky had not taken that long to catch up to the two of them yet, anything could have been said which could have made her mood change just as quickly as it had. Yet, she could also have just been taking this seriously.

It took nearly a full minute of ongoing silence before anything between the three of them had been said, yet civilians around them walked by, few looking into their direction and as the moment went by, the Seer continued to stare at the parchment.

"Zhirov."

"Z—zee…rove…?"

"I see the name Zhirov. It is of Russian origin."

As silence returned, it had stretched for a few seconds until the Seer spoke once more.

"You harbor great care for her. Despite her exterior, there be only the guiding moon with your prolonged existence."

Placing an index to the parchment, she looked upwards as if the answer would fall from the sky, if not be written within the darkening clouds or even the moon itself.

"In animal features, Zhirov is the She Wolf."

"A She Wolf…?"

"Yes."

Ky looked to Achilla who had was surprisingly standing upright with her hands folded in front of her waist. Turning his eyes back to the Seer, he prepared to ask her another question yet she spoke ahead of him.

"Zhirov is loyal and highly protective; however, she is not a mother and will risk herself for others only if they are willing to risk themselves for her. Respect from the She Wolf is no easy feat to attain and her trust is an even more arduous to earn. She is admired and excels in helping others—yet she only lends her aid if she feels she needs to and it is rare that she wants to."

The Seer shifted the parchment within her hands while keeping eye contact with Ky.

"She dislikes being treated ill if she does not deserve it. She is self-efficient and passionate with what she loves."

"_Raisa actually loves something? That's a laugh…"_

He knew if he voiced that opinion that Achilla would more than likely inform Raisa of this if they ever met, let alone the Seer may have become irritated and left her words at that.

"Her territories are simple for they are set in place to protect her and the one which is adored with the love of the She Wolf. The She Wolf will never commit to something unless it is of value, a promise, or even her own longevity."

"_Longevity…?"_

Ky knew not what the word meant.

"I assume you are seeking yours as well?"

"That he is."

He looked at Achilla and began to say something but he simply said nothing. He let it go because she would simply argue with him about it. As he looked at the Seer, he saw her staring at him. A part of him felt as if he were being torn asunder only to be placed back together.

"From this being in your possession and the care you have taken of it, among other things, I know of you to represent the Mongoose and the Snake."

"Your significator, is _Valet de Deniers_: The essence of earth, such as a mountain: The surprising appearance of new prosperity and opportunities for advance in the physical world. When actually introduced to it, or I suppose I should say IF you are ever introduced to it, you are one who delights within the pleasures of the body."

Ky's faced immediately flushed and as this happened he rubbed the back of his neck while looking down to the ground.

"You have immense love for material things yet what surpasses this love is the beauty in nature itself. You relish within its beauty as well as its changes. You embrace hard work, and work towards realistic goals instead of whimsically allowing yourself to be lost within your woolgathering. To be direct, you love working with your hands."

"_How does she know that…?"_

"You bear a scholarly perseverance which enables you to create the means to achieve a solid achievement. You are dependable. You are trustworthy, as you are now and if you ever embrace love and another's body. You are also rather studious nature."

Ky's face was still reddened from being told then he would love to engage in sexual acts once he had been introduced to those said acts. It mattered none at the moment, therefore, Ky shook it off as best he could; however, before Ky could speak, the Seer spoke ahead of him. He wanted to ask why he represented two animals, yet he would more than likely find out.

"You are challenged with the task of balancing your inner spirituality, your practicality, as your sensuality as well."

"_D—did she say my sexuality?"_

"You bear a sophisticated nature. Delicate, and pure—this is rare, but not uncommon. You must master your moods, your emotions, for they are vital to your true purpose and your own joy in life."

This spoke clearly and directly to Ky, who often found himself debating of several things at once. Not to mention his awkwardness towards his opposing gender.

"You must believe in yourself and negate the negative of thoughts if you wish to prevail. If you fail, you shall never see the rising moon as it shatters the frost about itself."

He understood nothing of what was said. Achilla watched the Seer as she intently listened. Ky was not paying her any mind at the immediate moment yet, she was paying far closer attention to his reading that anything else during the day.

"When aligned and centered, you are thetic, you bear moxie, you are determined, thus you stand your ground when perfected. You be honest just as we spoke of Zhirov as wine and now the topic has segued to you, as the parched tongue."

Ky had listened to what was said yet, he was unable to make sense of it.

"Honesty is in your twisted strings of red and blue, and if that honesty is breached, you shall never be centered without the aid of the drunken wolf."

The Seer handed the parchment back to him and as he took it from her, he proceeded to stuff it back into his pocket. As he looked back to where the Seer was once standing, he saw that she had already made a decent amount of space from the pair.

"She was rather insightful."

"Insightful?"

Ky looked to Achilla and then back to the Seer who now was nowhere in sight.

"_Where'd she go that fast?"_

"I think Raisa booked it."

"She didn't _'book'_ anything, she just needed supplies."

"It's been two days since she's been gone Ky."

He again, looked at Achilla. Her arms were behind her head and her fingers were interlaced with one another.

"But today didn't even end yet."

"She still isn't gonna be back so its two days."

"Y—you can't judge ahead like that!"

"Sure I can! I've a better sense of people, so I can!"

Achilla looked him in the eye and closed her eyes and then smiled.

"_If what she's saying true then Raisa did skip town on me…"_

Ky looked to the brick street beneath him and frowned.

"I mean really it's just a matter of time before the guards really notice and then it'll be like '_oh hell_' and a search party's gonna be sent after her."

Ky kept his eyes to the ground while Achilla had smiled as she spoke. She had also been surveying their surroundings as she spoke.

"Sooner or later she was gonna run anyway, you can't keep a girl like her held down it just won't work."

"Held down?"

He asked as he looked at her in a quizzical fashion.

"Holding her back or cornering her. She's not the kind to take it like that, Raisa'll go after what she wants and take it by force before she lies down and lets someone walk all over her."

Ky stared blankly at her. It seemed that only by listening to what she was, being a Wolf, that she was able to tell what Raisa had been all about.

"I guess…"

"BUT! Now we don't have to come back tomorrow."

Looking to the sky, he had saw why she had suggested such a thing. Nightfall had been coming. Looking to the people in front of them, Ky had thought it best to pick up on this at a later date as well.

"Well do you want me to walk you back home or—"

"Nah, I'm alright. Besides from what I heard, Raiko'll get mad if she sees you with another woman."

Achilla's smile had stretched so far that one would think it would break her face after she said this.

"I'm not involved with her! You've gotta be out of your mind!"

"Ha, your reaction says different. Are you ashamed of your new found love, Ky?"

"No! I'm not! I mean…"

"So you are involved with her then?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying!"

"It sure sounds that way. I mean she ate the strawberry right out of your mouth so if she's not your lover then what's going on between you two?"

As he was about to speak, Achilla cut him off.

"Bah, I'm just messin' with ya."

Her smile was wider than ever while Ky frowned. Even more so, passersby who knew of Raiko thought much of her unless the individual had been a male. Within the crowd, Achilla could see a mixture of responses to the fact Raiko's name had been mentioned. Some males were smiling or looking off while they were in thought while the females shook their head, frowned, or looked covered their faces as they walked pass.

"But, to be perfectly serious,"

Achilla rubbed her nose with her right index finger.

"You might wanna tell her."

"Tell her?"

"Well yeah, girls don't like to wait around y'know? If you hesitate and hesitate we'll just find someone else who's capable of taking care of us."

"That sounds pretty shallow…"

"Shallow? Compared to what most you men do I don't think weeding and waiting mark it as shallow."

"No, you just said that—"

"Nya…"

Ky stared as she scratched the back of her head.

"I'm sleepy."

Ky's face shriveled in utter confusion.

"What?"

"I said I'm hungry."

After blinking several times in succession, she asked Ky if he could carry her home. He hesitated and collected himself before he spoke.

"B…you just said that—"

"OH…how can you be so cruel?"

"…?"

Ky turned to his right and looked at a bird which had flown by him and then above the dwellings. Before he could speak, Achilla, yet again, cut him off.

"And you ignore me? OH MY goodness, I've been ignored…should I hold a grudge? Curse him? Smite him with the last of my remaining strength?"

Ky paid not much attention to anyone but Achilla at this moment yet, she had begun to draw a crowd.

"Achilla what are you talking about? You pulled me away from working to roam around town with you."

Achilla slowly slumped down to her knees and placed both her hands to her stomach.

"I am…just soooo huuungry…"

"The he-"

He caught himself before he used profanity.

"What're you going on about? Seriously, you just ate! Besides, you were fine just a minute ago!"

Achilla now held her arms and hands outstretched and cleared her throat.

"Everyone, your attention please,"

Ky innately cursed his luck as he took notice to several passersby who began to slow their pace and even stop to listen to the young girl.

"This man is a horrible, twisted, evil shell of a human being who would callously abandoned a starving child. Shun him, for he is unclean in the eyes of God!"

"The h-"

Again, he caught himself.

"For the love of God,"

He muttered to himself as he covered a portion of his face with his left hand.

"What exactly did I do to deserve this? Being called out and evil by a stranger a—"

Ky had now paid attention to his surroundings and noticed those whom had stopped to pay attention. They were staring at him. Most with disapproving faces and most of them had been female.

"What the… hey—all you there, why are you staring at me like that? I've only just met her a few hours ago! Honestly, before today, I never met her, I swear!"

Some of them shook their heads while others held a disgraceful and even hostile expression towards the situation.

"I now bid farewell….to this cruel and HEARTLESS world…"

Tilting forward, Achilla allowed herself to fall to the ground yet, Ky caught her just before her face slammed against the ground.

"Fine, fine! I'll feed you…"

As he helped her to her feet, his mind did not race or search for answers; he basically knew that he had been suckered.

"_I don't believe I just fell for this…"_

* * *

><p>The chill of the coming night had encroached upon the streets and as daylight continued to fade, the sisters were making their way back home. They had passed several agoras and merchants as well as commoners. Few of them greeted the pair while others were either afraid of them or shunned them. Surina cared nothing for the lot of them while Priya's bleeding heart silently wished she could understand.<p>

Coming upon the gates of the Parousian Castle, Surina placed her right hand upon her shoulder and gently massaged it.

"The sooner I rest, the better off this day will truly be."

"But we—"

"There's plenty to do tomorrow."

Surina pointed out to her.

"Though I will live to regret it unfortunately…"

The latter comment she mumbled under her breath.

"What was it you have said?"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

Priya dropped the subject. As the two continued on, Priya looked to the sky. As she her nose drew in the air she could tell that rain had been on the way. Though until then, the sky itself was painted a beautiful light orange and as one would look further from the sun, streaks of purple and blue were tatted in a wondrous pattern. Despite the thought of Raisa's predictions possibly being true, Priya did what she could to ignore those thoughts.

"Hm…what have we here…"

Coming to from her mental wandering, her thoughts were set in place as Surina pointed out none other than Raisa.

"Whatever is she doing here?"

Her hair was drawn back into a low ponytail and she wore a vest. By the looks of the tears and rips it had once had sleeves.

"Waiting for something it appears."

Drawing closer to her, they were roughly fifteen feet from her before she took notice of their presence. Raisa said nothing. She did nothing more than look at them and then look away.

"Huh…rude."

Stopping a few feet from her, Priya took notice of her attire. Underneath her vest had been a dark undershirt which was tucked into her bottoms. This undershirt covered her neck as well. Her bottoms themselves were something which she had never witnessed before. Around her hips had appeared to be leather while from her inner thighs down were covered by another type of legging. Not only that, but the outer layer appeared to be lightly armored.

Her calves were covered by some kind of guard as was a portion of her feet and under her feet had been what appeared to be sandals made from straw. Priya and Surina both had also taken notice of the leather bag which rested on the ground next to her. It was rather large and not only that, it was full; though neither of them knew what it had been filled with.

"What doth bring you here at this hour Raisa?"

"…nothing really…"

With that limited if not mindless answer, Priya took notice of the firearms about her thighs. There had been one at each and they were firearms which she had never seen before. From there, she looked up to her face but, the headband about her forehead caught Priya's attention. It had been a deep blue and was in remarkable condition. What had her attention the most had been the silver plate which had been a part of her headband. Within it had been the engraving of a bird and a pair of symbols.

"_Another language perhaps?"_

"It appears that you are waiting for something—"

"If you would shut your mouth you will see what I am waiting for."

"You mock me?"

"Surina…"

Priya placed an arm before her sister in order to keep her somewhat calm since she had advanced towards Raisa when she asked her question. Not only that, but Surina had been cut off when she was speaking as well.

"I've done nothing of the sort."

Raisa looked to Surina via her peripheral.

"Yet, anyway…"

Again, Surina stirred with unrest and it was again that Priya kept her elder sister in place. As she was going to open her mouth, the echo of hooves striking stone had entered her ears and this made her cease. Looking in the direction of the sound, Surina and Priya saw nothing.

"Here they come."

With those words, Priya looked to Raisa with a face of confusion. Raisa was leaning against a dwelling with her arms crossed. As she blinked she muttered one word and one word only.

"Look."

The sound doubled its fervor and as it did, the horse soon entered their sights. A brown horse it was and a man rode atop it. The guards did not even address him as he dismounted and rushed passed the gates.

"He be a messenger?"

"Not just any messenger, he is of the Dalkian Imperial Guard. Look at the armor upon his horse and even the mail he wears. He's much more than just a messenger."

"The guards care not for his rushed motives either. They know what is to happen and they can do nothing about it now."

"You mean that Raisa is—"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Surina had confirmed her sister's assumptions and when Priya eyed Raisa, whom had said not a word of pride nor boast, Surina continued to observe the male who had been speaking with the second set of guards at the lattice.

"_Her prediction is coming full circle…"_

"An urgent message delivered in the midst of the coming darkness. I know not what to call it; especially since Dalkia has not a need for any reinforcement from Parousian Forces."

"The Pre-Declaration has been delivered."

Priya looked to Raisa before she repeated a portion of what was said.

"Declaration?"

"I'm not going to repeat what I've said."

As these words were said, Raisa looked to her right. Priya too, looked in the same direction and what she saw had been children going about their business with their parents.

Wives; daughters; sons; brothers; sisters; husbands; grandfathers; grandmothers, and lastly fathers. Raisa was choosing her time wisely for if she were to be more precise than what she had said, one of them would catch on to their conversation and a panic would soon spread.

Priya had also recalled what Annebella had told Raisa, Abelia, and Priya herself yesterday; and that was to not spread panic of what had occurred.

"She does have a point Priya, we cannot speak here."

With her hand upon Priya's left forearm, the younger sibling simply nodded as the thought of war had begun to take hold within her mind. Yet Surina now looked to Priya's arm.

"How is your wound?"

"Tis fine."

This she half-heartedly answered. Priya was more concerned with the situation at hand.

"It is the world after all…I imagine that people die every day and have been as long as we walked amongst the land."

Priya looked to Raisa as this was said.

"Showing weakness and sympathy now, before anything has happened, is unneeded."

"The loss of life is not a thing to ignore Raisa."

"I said to never ignore it, I doubt any of us can truly '_ignore_' it. I doubt even she could."

With her eyes looking beyond them, Priya and Surina both looked to the complex behind them. It was a rather tall dwelling which had few windows for its height. Yet what was atop this dwelling was what had their attention.

"W…who is that_?_"

"Riese."

Surina answered.

It was true. Riese, under Surina's command, had set her perch atop the dwelling across from them and she stood with her arms crossed observing the very same thing which Raisa had been so fixed on.

"She has been prying just as long as I have and she suspects the very same. Yet, of course, she had her own conclusions and it was Riese who told me to wait here and see."

"So Riese also believes that—"

"That she does."

"_I trust her none. I know little of her and even the General knows not much of her. She was born outside of Parousia and that alone gives way for her to be fault. Even her weapons are…"_

"Surina?"

Coming from her thoughts, Surina looked down to Priya and asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing, yet, the night be upon us."

Nodding, Surina looked to where Riese was only to see her gone. As she looked about the street level she saw not a trace of her.

"Well, you know what that means…"

Raisa's unmoving calm had bothered Priya to the point where she did not wish to continue with the current subject.

"I do…though I wish I knew not."

"Wishing that would do nothing, you will still find out what it means and connect the events."

Priya looked to the ground as she knew that Raisa had been correct. Surina on the other hand, shot a demonic glare with Raisa in her sights.

"I simply wish it were not going to happen."

"Most think that as well."

As the lattice separated them from the sight of the messenger, Surina shifted her glare and as she shifted it, it had lost its earlier intensity. Raisa continued to lean against the dwelling wall with her arms crossed while Priya stood to her right and held a look of utter worry. Raisa and Surina both watched the lattice and they both knew that the time of merry and peace would soon come to an end.

"When this does go to Hell, try not to get impaled or worse…"

Raisa did not look in her direction as she responded. Priya on the other hand, held confusion within her face. The reason for this was that in her own way, Surina had just wished Raisa the best of luck.

"I know not death let alone defeat. I have nothing to worry of. You should do your best since they would surely hunt you both down opposed to me."

Raisa kept her sights upon the lattice as she continued to speak.

"You both are commanders and commanders of a well-known man who was about to be promoted until he died due to injuries. That same man fought alongside Dalkia for years, leading their forces to victory while fooling his enemies into believing he was Dalkian and not Parousian."

"What are you saying?"

"It is simple actually…"

Looking Priya in her eyes, Raisa added on to her words.

"…they will hunt you down before all else."

Priya's eyes widened while Surina's narrowed.

"True as that may be, they've not enough to bring us to our deaths! They know of our father so what makes you think that dare touch what is impregnable?"

"Are you now?"

Looking to Surina, Raisa had also narrowed her eyes.

"With your father's history do you think Dalkia will take chance to ignore the potential threat you two pose to them? Then there is Halteese; which may know of the heritage you both have but it is not certain, but if they do, then there is much more to worry about then."

"What makes you speak as if you know?"

"Halteese operates in a guerilla fashion and not with small units either. They move as a force and when they attack, they kill few and run. They come back again and attack en mass, overwhelming the opposition. How do you think Dalkia has been pushed back when Dalkia has the far greater number amassed when it comes to their army?"

"How exactly do you know the functionality of Halteese?"

"Her accent…"

Surina looked to her younger sister as was the one who brought Raisa's accent to the forefront.

"Raisa's accent is heavy and Russian. I gather that she traveled and crossed their forces. Along that line, she had to have either cut through or perhaps around Halteese and their war with Dalkia. That doth give us the advantage if you do think of it though."

"…it doesn't matter, last I heard, Raiko was assigned to—"

"Shut your mouth!"

"Surina!"

A smirk had stretched across Raisa's face as she locked eyes with Surina. Priya could do nothing more than attempt to keep peace between the two yet it was now futile.

"We know that a whore is harbored in your ranks, and also that you mistook us both as the other instead of who we were."

Raisa placed a hand above her heart as she also partially bowed to add more to the sting of what she was going to say.

"I'm very flattered you consider me, but I've no interest in your _Exodus_."

Returning to her previous position, she crossed her arms once more and now she now looked Surina in her eyes.

"Since you pride yourself on appearance and force itself, how does having a shameless whore really sit with you..._Commander Surina_?"

Surina's face had considerably reddened. Not out of embarrassment, but out of rage. Raisa had been mocking her. Not behind her back but directly to her face. Even the manner in which she had addressed her as commander held mockery behind it.

"Way I see it, it's just a matter of time before you lose your mind and until then…it will just eat away at you."

Her smirk widened into a smile.

"Though, I've said my piece,"

Raisa knelt down and took hold of the straps of her travel bag and as she lifted it, Priya took notice of her physical strength. It was when Raisa lifted the sack that the muscles within her right arm tensed and as she lifted the sack, Priya ogled her physical strength while Raisa slung the large sack over her right shoulder with ease. As the sack collided with her body, metal or steel was heard clacking against other slabs and pieces.

Raisa began to walk off, yet she slowed until she stopped. She stood in place before spoke.

"Do enjoy your night Priya and you…"

Looking over her shoulder she had now been addressing Surina yet, her words and tone would be out of mockery.

"…do have oh-so-much-fun with your little whore…"

Raisa turned away she added one last word on to what she had said to Surina.

"…doll…"

Her tone had changed into a more sinister if not chilling form of her prior teasing and jesting. Standing in front of her sister, Priya continued to talk her sister down from an altercation while Surina heard none of her sister's words.

"_I'll see you dead soon enough…Raisa…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter V End<strong>

_End Notes:_

Priya's Tarot was given with the Tarot of Marseilles and the pattern which her tarot was read was by the Twisting Path pattern.

Ky was given the very same form of tarot with the addition of his animal tarot. Raisa was also viewed with her animal tarot despite her not being present.

Achilla is a Greek female name and is derived from Achilles.

Ky often uses archaic form of speech when he writes within his journal.

Ky has also just turned eighteen on the eighteenth of September.


	7. Act: I Chapter: VI

_Pre-chapter implore: If it offends you, then it offends you._

* * *

><p><strong>Act: I<strong>

**Chapter VI**

* * *

><p>It was near noon when she had been summoned to her Madame's personal quarters. Despite serving her for over a year, she was still on edge whenever she was summoned. Standing in the corridor, it was nerve-racking simply to raise her hand. Though, she had to be prompt—for lacking in swiftness was one thing a servant should never be. Lightly knocking upon the door, she took a step back as she heard a voice from the other side answer her.<p>

"I—it is Rebecca, Madame."

Her voice was light and her European accent was easily noticed.

"You have summoned me Madame?"

Rebecca was then told to enter. Thus she did. Placing her gloved hand upon the gilded door handle, she nervously stared at the gilded griffin which was mounted above the press-lock. The design made it appear as if one were placing their hand into the very mouth of the griffin and the curved handle which she had within her grasp represented its tongue. The press-lock which Rebecca had triggered with her right thumb was to be its uvula.

As she entered the room, she quickly stepped to the side and closed the door behind her. The room itself had been painted a deep red. Its boarders were gilded and it had only one window. It was a long window which one could see the bustling Parousia from with ease and if it had been night, with the clear sky it was a romantic view. Though, this woman was not at all married nor did she bear any plans to wed. Her estate was hers and hers alone along with her vast fortune.

"Madame…?"

Rebecca, fifteen years of age, stood at five feet and three inches. Shorter than most women her age and her nervousness was easily head within her voice. The one whom she had addressed had yet to turn to acknowledge her, and as such, Rebecca knew not to speak any further. The Madame was painting.

There was a chair craft out of the finest of oak in which she would use to either sit in or stand in depending on what she had currently been working on which stood a few feet behind her.

"I've an errand for you to run Rebecca."

"Whatever do you desire Madame?"

Seconds had passed before anything else was said. She was painting. Naturally she would not immediately respond to what was going on. As Rebecca wait to did what she could to see what the Madame was painting, yet she could not see much.

"I would like you to deliver an invitation to Commander Priya Delgado and her second in command, Ky Kusanagi."

She then ceased her strokes of the brush and looked to the morning rays of the sun bathe the city beneath her.

"Kusanagi Ky, I should say, if I am to be formal."

"Yes. Go with Fergus and ensure that the invitations are properly delivered."

"Yes, Madame."

Rebecca bowed her head before taking her leave.

* * *

><p>A short time had passed after Rebecca took her leave and as such it would only be a matter of time before she made her arrival. As she made her way to the designated dwellings, Raisa herself, was already having her patience tested.<p>

"…why'd you put it there?"

"It is where it is to go."

"But, that's not what the schematic says."

"Do you always follow illogical instruction?"

"'Instructions', you mean?"

"Answer the goddamn question."

"W—well, I do, yes I do."

"Then follow this instruction…"

Raisa tilted her head and looked at the man via her peripheral.

"Shut the fuck up and leave me be."

"B—"

Raisa ceased her work and looked at the man. He was a private, following the orders which had been given to him. These orders were to check upon Raisa and Ky and since Ky had not yet been awake, this peon was left to pester Raisa.

He was roughly the same height as Raisa. A smaller frame he possessed and he was European. His hair was blonde and his eyes were black.

"Leave me…"

"I—"

Raisa drew a dagger from its sheath and drove it into the countertop. He took a quick step backwards as the dagger impaled the counter. Raisa could see that he was scared, for he did not know she had even drawn the dagger until it was wedged within the counter before him. As she released the bladed weapon, he stared at it with his eyes agape.

"I want to play a game…"

Before anything else could be said, the side door opened. Immediately, the uninvited guest stepped away from the counter and approached Ky.

"Kusanagi, it's really good to see you!"

Looking over the guest's shoulder, Ky saw the dagger planted in the counter and slowly shook his head. His voice had given away the fact that he was nervous as well as afraid, though Ky truly did not want to deal with this at the moment.

"Could you just come back…I dunno, later?"

"I—I'm sorry _Specialist_ but I'm under strict order to observe your work!"

"…'Orders' you mean?"

He gulped as Raisa corrected him. Adding even more nervousness to him, Raisa slowly began to twist the dagger within the countertop. He did not see this but he could hear it. The _Private_ could also see Ky's facial expression which made him all the more nervous. Luckily, Ky calmly blew the gesture off.

"Tah…Girardot's too busy I take it…"

"Well, no, I mean, yes, he is a busy man and has a lot of decisions to make that we don't get b—"

"Speak for yourself."

Raisa balled her right fist as she said those words. She felt as if someone had labeled her an imbecile for not understanding what was going on when she knew full well what would, and will happen. She simply did not know who would do it first. That was the only thing she herself was unsure of.

"You have never been upon the border to patrol nor have you ever fought to defend your own life. If anyone knows not, it is you."

Her voice gave away her irritation and even Ky could pick up on the fact that it seemed to personally strike Raisa opposed to not phasing her.

"I—I know I've never stood on the front line…"

"You would die first if you ever did."

"Raisa…"

She looked from the nuisance to Ky. As she watched him, she saw Ky place a hand on the guest's shoulder, this made him turn his attention from Raisa to Ky.

"Just give us some time alright."

He was calm and as he spoke those words he gave off the aura that he was calm. Seeing there be little to no choice, the lowest ranking individual took a temporary leave. A few seconds had passed after he left and within those few seconds, Ky made his way to the counter.

"You can't just talk to anyone how you want."

Her right hand was balled and firmly pressed against her cheek and she looked at Ky. Her left arm lazily rested upon the countertop with her left hand flat upon its surface.

"I have and I will do as such when necessary."

In his subconscious, Ky noted that Raisa spoke at a fairly quick rate, yet, she spoke her words slightly slower than others. He chalked it up to her Russian accent. As he thought about it, Raiko spoke similarly, yet she spoke at a faster pace than Raisa.

"It isn't right y'know…"

As his voice trailed, Raisa lazily cocked her head to her left as she looked at him, however, her calmness quickly changed as she saw a carriage come to a half just outside. Ky on the other hand thought she had not been paying him enough attention as usual.

"You should only look down on somebody if you're helping them up. That's the best thing and feeling knowing that you're able to help someone even if it's just to make their day slightly easier."

Raisa said not a word. She looked at Ky and then motioned towards the door via a head gesture while looking at the door and then directly at him.

As the doorknob was turned, Raisa returned her focus towards the door while Ky looked at who was coming in. To their surprise, it was an older man with the stature that rivaled Archer's. He was terribly slender. Almost as if his fine clothing were his flesh. His attire was that of a butler. All black, with accents of red and white.

"Do pardon our intrusion upon your…"

His voice trailed as his eyes wandered about the innards of the dwelling. He said nothing ill nor rash, yet it was easily noticed that he disliked what he had seen.

"…residence, yet, I do bring you fine news."

Releasing the knob, he stood aside and completely erect as a female stepped into the room. Ky placed an elbow upon the counter, partially leaning upon it as she entered while Raisa slowly moved her hand closer to her waist. Her hand remained atop the counter, yet if something were to occur, she would at least be prepared.

Her hair was black, just as most of her attire. Obviously, she was a maid in standard uniform. Her apron, frills, and brim were white while the accents of lace upon her stockings, and around her neck were red. Not to mention the large bow about her skirt was red as well. She wore white gloves which were no longer than her wrists to complete her clothing.

Within her hands, she held a small, rolled document. Extending her arms and holding it within both hands, she bowed and extended her arms even further.

"This message is for Kusanagi."

Raisa eyed Ky from her peripheral while Ky looked over his shoulder to her. Neither of them were sure about such a thing, yet, it was being offered to one of them instead of both. This made Raisa particularly uneasy. Ky took slow steps towards the maid and when he stood three feet from her, he reached out and took the message from her.

Rising from her bow, her arms were placed to her sides. Additionally, she informed them of what the purpose of the message had been.

"As you are second of the military unit, _Gungnir_, you and your commanding officer are cordially invited to supper."

"…Cordially…?"

Ky looked at the invitation within his hand. He has yet to open it though what he was just told, he assumed it summed up the message.

"Who sent the invitation?"

As he asked this, Rebecca politely smiled while Raisa slowly opened a drawer where a second set of pistols were concealed.

"Madame E'lara, of course."

As this entered her ears, Raisa immediately sat upright and her facial expression gave away her knowledge of who E'lara was. Ky on the other hand…

"E'lara…?"

"Yes, she has arranged for your arrival as well as your pick up and will like for you to be prompt upon your arrival for supper is at nine. Tardiness is not accepted."

Raising a brow, he nodded once as the maid bowed and then took her leave. It was after she exited the dwelling that the finely dressed man bid them both a farewell by tipping his hat towards them both. To follow this, he closed the door behind him and quickly opened the carriage door for the maid.

"Invited by E'lara…"

Ky did not turn to face Raisa but she had his attention.

"It sounds as if you are becoming infamous."

"Infamous?"

Ky slowly turned around due to her choice of words.

"Yes. To be invited by such an individual, I would say so."

"Well known would fit that better than infamous."

Ky looked to the invitation within his hand once more.

"Infamous sounds like it follows no law and cares none about anything."

Raisa said nothing; instead she looked on with a rather bland expression upon her face. He had missed the entire point let alone the light joke she had been making.

"_Damn idiot…"_

* * *

><p>Hours had passed after the invitation had been delivered and within this time, not much else had occurred. Ky had been within his room pacing to and fro. Nervous about the coming event as well as why Priya had chosen him to go with her. He had not a decent thread of clothing; only what he could safely work in and then there was his mail.<p>

"…what am I going to do about this…?"

He sat upon his bed with his forehead in his palms. He wore a long sleeved tunic made of leather and he also wore of vest of the same make. Jodhpurs covered his lower body and he wore wet weather boots as his cloth shoes were missing.

Ky wanted to opt out of having to go with Priya yet, he had not the courage, let alone heart to turn her down. Even more so had been the fact that E'lara had invited him.

He heaved a sigh as two loud knocks brought him back from within his mind.

"The escort will be here shortly."

It was Raisa reminding him that he needed to be ready. As he rose from his bed, he thought of writing in his journal once more, yet he then decided not to. He would more than likely be interrupted as he was in the middle of writing.

"Ky…?"

He did not respond to her. Even as she knocked on his door and called him for the second time, he did not respond. His mind was wrapped in the events which were to come and he knew not how to handle the situation let alone where to begin.

"HEY, WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

As she yelled those words, Raisa kicked in Ky's door and as a result of this, Ky stumbled back only to trip and fall to the floor. Sitting up and groaning from the aching back, Ky looked to the door and saw Raisa staring at him.

"You know how to fucking answer someone?"

"I…"

His voice trailed and with that, Raisa turned and left him be. It took him a few minutes to gather himself and when he did, he dimmed and then extinguished the flame within the lantern.

Emerging from his now door-less room, Ky thought of stopping to clean up the mess which was just made yet he had not the time. Instead, he grabbed an overcoat and walked out into the front where Raisa normally spent most of her time.

Silence hung over the area for a few moments and the only sounds which were heard were Raisa sketching away with quill in hand and her balling whatever parchment she had been sketching on and tossing it to the floor if she were not pleased with what she had been sketching.

It was after the fifth failure which Ky chose to speak.

"I…I don't get it."

Raisa said nothing to him. Instead, she looked up from her book in silence. This book lay next to her and she had been leaning over it in order to see what part to sketch next. Seeing this, he assumed that he had her attention to where he would not interrupt her, so he spoke.

"Was that really necessary?"

He asked this as he made a gesture towards his door.

"You will get a new one."

"That's not the pint!"

Raisa narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Pint…?"

She repeated.

"Point…not the point…you know what I'm trying to say."

Raisa said nothing. Though her facial expression said enough; she thought he was a fool.

"Why can't you knock on the door like someone civilized? Or even call me?"

"I knocked three times. I called you twice prior to the door being broken. You chose not to answer."

"But that doesn—"

"E'lara sent you an invitation to her residence. If you are late or not ready, it is not me who will lend aid when you are butchered…"

"I know E'lara hates slowness…they both pretty much said that earlier. I know that already…"

"Oh, then you know she is one of the highest ranking officials in the Grandallian Military?"

Ky said nothing. The reason why was because that was something he did not know whatsoever. In his silence and for the fact that his eyes and mouth were both agape, Raisa lifted her head from her book and stared at him as if he were a deer and she were in fact, the wolf hunting her prey.

"How the FUCK do you not know that?"

Ky jumped as she screamed at him. It was not his fault he did not know much about those who were over him with the exception of a few commanders. Though with what Raisa said, that meant that she must be higher ranking than Annebella Williams. As much as he had heard of Annebella was that she outranked both the Delgado sisters, Abelia Schillfelt, and even Kagami. Though he knew of those aforementioned, he knew nothing of E'lara; in fact, today was the first time he had even heard anything about her.

"I don't know…"

Ky looked out the window and to the moon. Raisa on the other hand, resumed reading only to cease half way down the page.

"Never hesitate."

"Huh?"

Ky turned his head in her direction. She was not looking at him but she was still talking to him.

"You hesitate when someone is speaking to you, you hesitate when you've much on your mind and you hesitate due to fear."

Raisa now looked up from her book and now looked at to him.

"Hesitation can get you killed in war and your God will not lend you his aid."

With this said, Raisa unknowingly sparked an argument.

"You can't just say that, I believe that no matter what happens God is always looking out for me and all of his children."

Ky turned away from the window and was now facing Raisa.

"You've your beliefs and I've mine, but you can't expect me to just believe whatever you say."

"You believe what a book written by human hands says so why should my words be any different?"

"Are you God? A disciple of God's; no, you aren't. So you've no reason let alone right to insult God's name."

Raisa rose from her hunched position and blinked. Her face was revealed that she had currently been elated.

"So I cannot bear my own opinion and express it? Is that what you are saying?"

"I'm saying that you can't disrespect our Lord a—"

"Your Lord, and your Puppeteer."

Ky gnashed his teeth while Raisa smirked.

"I came not to judge the world…John 12:47."

"Wha…?"

Ky turned completely and faced Raisa as she recited a verse. Though what she would say next would be rather damning.

"…and The Puppeteer said, _'For judgment I am, come into this world'_ John 9:39."

Raisa's smirk slowly spread into a twisted and sadistic smile.

"Man does not need a God to be moral, religion divides more than it unites, you know this as does the rest of the world. The Crusades for instance is an example."

"The Crusades were fought to take back the Holy Land!"

"And at what cost…? Lives wasted for the purpose of securing land? Killing those who offend your God? Do you believe your God is peaceful?"

"Corinthians 14:33, 'God is peaceful'."

With that quote, Raisa nearly cackled, yet she retained her calm and matched his quote with her own.

"Exodus and Isiah, 15:3 and 51:15, 'God is warlike'."

Raisa cocked her head to her left as her smile retained its natural strength.

"'God is kind, merciful, and good.' Psalms 14:5, all while 'God is cruel, unmerciful, destructive, and ferocious.' Deuteronomy 7:16."

Raisa closed her eyes while still keeping that same smile upon her face.

"Religion is not fit for science, yet, it took some form of science to make the parchment for the scriptures to be written on and as such, scripture is man-made and demonstrably false. I say that to say this, God did not create man in his image, man created God in his and as such, there are many Gods which humanity praises and each religion bears its flaws and contradictions but Christianity is the only one, willing to traverse the world in order to blind all else's minds to what they are supposed to believe whether they kill, beat, torture, or even rape in order to achieve it."

"…Raisa, not everyone is a perfect Christian. I'm not even a perfect Christian…but I try to be."

Ky looked down to the floor as he continued to speak.

"Just because some people use it to their advantage doesn't mean that everyone uses it as a way out and over things. Not a priest has done such and only those like us have."

Raisa cocked her head to her left at the last portion of what Ky had just said.

"God made woman from the rib of a man and the man from dust itself, how else can you say we've come along?"

"From dust and a rib…"

Raisa crossed her arms after she repeated that segment of his question.

"Though men treat women as if they are shit compared to them. You know that. Few men do good by their wives, while most do not. Even with what you have said, if woman were made from the man's rib, why do men treat women as if they are above then when quite frankly it is obvious that women were meant to walk beside men?"

"Rain—"

"Even more to that is the fact that E'laram's first wife is to be Lilith; though if I recall right, that is not to be correct for Lilith is in some texts referred to as a demon whom fled E'laram simply because she refused to listen to him and also refused what most women endure today… being subservient to the men in their lives. In other text, it is said that she shared bed with Archangel Samael."

Raisa slightly tilted her head to her right and continued speaking.

"So what do you believe; do you believe that the Jewish side of it with Lilith being E'laram's first wife who abandoned him is true or is Christianity, as you know it, absolute with Eve being E'laram's first and only wife?"

Ky said not a word. He merely stared at her in silence.

"You do not think that I know nothing of your religion do you? It would be ignorant for me to reject it and know nothing about it versus knowing what I do and knowing that I can live to a greater value and extent without a Christian lifestyle."

"I didn't say you didn't know about it…"

"Though…do tell me if I am correct…"

Raisa leaned forward and placed both her elbows upon the counter. Her arms were still crossed and her left arm was on the outside of this crossed manner while her right was closest to her body.

"I am going to create woman and man with original sin. Then I will impregnate a woman with myself as a child so that I can be born. Once alive I will kill myself as a sacrifice to myself all to save you from the sin which I originally condemned you to."

"That isn't all it's about Raisa!"

Raisa's eyes widened and a small smirk was written upon her lips.

"Really…?"

Leaning over her work, Raisa's demeanor seemed to change. It was almost if she had been enjoying the situation which had been unfolding between them.

"Then why is it you have turned to Christianity? Is it for your family, or your personal choice?"

Ky stood in front of Raisa speechless. It took no time at all for her to notice this silence.

"I take it be your family."

Raisa heaved a light sigh as she continued.

"You followed what your parents wanted you to do and when you did not do it, you were disciplined. Not saying grace at supper, you were lashed upon your hand if not outright beaten."

Ky said nothing.

"Need I continue?"

"No…"

Ky turned towards the window and once again, looked at the moon. Silence hung over them for a few minutes. All the while, Ky was holding his tongue while Raisa said whatever was on her mind. Though in the silence, Raisa had found what she needed to and as such, she decided to ease off her personal beliefs and research.

"…you still hesitate and bite your tongue."

Ky's eyes slightly widened.

"I suppose that will do though."

Ky turned his head in her direction. Raisa could see the agitation within his face and she thought it a rare and wonderful thing that he was actually capable of losing a bit of his composure.

"Are you telling me that you made that entire thing up just to—"

"I made nothing up. As you said, people believe what they believe; though a shorter way of saying that is _to each their own_. The point is that you are capable of voicing your opinion…which you need to do more instead of going with whatever happens."

He again, took up his initial silence and looked back out the window.

"When the war is brought to us, it will be good if you can channel that same carnal fire that you just showed me. Without it, no one can survive a war let alone last in a normal bout."

"_Was…she trying to teach me something…?"_

Neither of them had spoken for the next half hour. Ky stood in the same place while Raisa had returned to working on _Vindicate_ and _Heartless_.

"_It seems like no matter what I do someone always has more than I do."_

His hand slowly slid down the window and as it did, small streaks were left upon it from where his fingers had run across.

"_Archer is a good guy, drinks, helps people and fights only when he needs to; not only that, he's stronger than me to."_

"_Priya and Surina both have rank and are more solid to the core…"_

"_Raisa is straight-forward and direct. Blunt even. She follows what she believes and is indifferent about others unless it's something she wants to point out or say…but she may still be indifferent…compared to them I've got…"_

Ky was brought from his thoughts when Raisa tossed scrap into the trash just beside her. The resulting metallic _ting_ was what truly brought him back to reality. At this point he wanted to ask her something yet, he knew not if she was too busy or not. Though the only way to find out was to ask; or possibly look and deduce if she was.

Turning his head, he stopped as he caught sight of the door. Half of him wanted to ask but the other half thought it best to.

"_One real way to find out…"_

"…Raisa…"

"Ky."

He hesitated before he asked his question yet, now that he had her attention it was no reason to shy away now.

"What do you think the chances'll be that Parousia is thrown into war?"

Raisa continued tightening the wedge as this question was asked. Ky thought she was not going to answer and had begun to leave until she spoke.

"Are you sure you want the answer?"

Looking back, but not turning around, he told her that he was. At this point, Raisa ceased her work and interlaced her fingers. Her elbows rested upon the countertop while her eyes were closed.

"The probability of Grandall fighting another is over seventy percent."

Ky did his best to hide his worry but Raisa knew him well enough to see it.

"If you would like an accurate estimation…"

Raisa ceased her words as the sound of hooves caught her ears. Not knowing why she stopped, Ky turned to face her.

"There isn't much space for peace is it?"

Raisa said nothing as she listened. Her hearing was much more attuned to the world that Ky's had been. It had been seconds later that Ky turned back to the door for he now heard hooves striking the streets outside.

"_Guess that's why she's silent."_

As he opened the door, a slight chill washed over him due to the night weather.

"Do not embarrass yourself."

Those were her only words and the only advice she had given him as she returned to her work. Ky said nothing in return. He merely held his overcoat tighter around his neck to stop the cold air from getting to it. Raisa was not at all bothered as the night air washed over her. She simply watched as he stepped outside and even when he closed the door behind him, she watched.

"Do come along now Sir Kusanagi,"

Ky hesitated as this was said to him. Looking at the gentleman before him, he stood roughly six feet and was slender, much more so than Ky himself. He wore all black and his clothing appeared to be rather expensive as did the top hat he wore. This was the same man from earlier who had been in company of the maid.

"The Madame is not one who relishes in tardiness dear chap."

Silently nodding, Ky approached the carriage and as the door was opened for him he could see nothing inside, yet, he entered and sat himself down upon the seat which had his back facing the horses which drew the carriage.

As the door closed, darkness made home to the inside of the carriage. He heard the light cracking of the reigns and without delay, the horses resumed their previous gait. Taking in a breath, Ky slowly exhaled only to slowly inhaled once more. There was a delectable scent inside of the carriage. Drawing in smelling the air once more he was able to make out the scent to be vanilla. He loved the smell of vanilla. Greedily smelling the air once more with the moon shining through the only window, he was able to see his breath when he exhaled the wonderful scent and not only was he able to see his breath, he also saw a pair of legs.

As he studied the pair of slender legs, he unconsciously wiped his nose as his eyes followed the light of the moon. As the carriage rounded a corner, the moon's position allowed more of the silhouette to be unveiled and as his eyes reached the individual's hips, Ky's breath nearly ceased as he saw her slender form. This female was wearing a dress and with the way she sat, a portion of her thighs could be seen. Her dainty hands were folded in her lap and her upper body was covered by a shawl. He could imagine her without the shawl itself and by the make of the dress; he knew that its design had just barely covered this female's breasts.

"…G…od…"

Before he could mutter another word, the female leaned into the moonlight and as she did, he instinctively straightened.

"Is something on your mind Ky?"

His spine had tensions running up and down as his face flushed.

"N—no, nothing, not a single…thing…"

Turning his head to his left, which was the darkest area of the carriage at the moment, he cursed his wandering eyes.

"_I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS PRIYA!"_

"Ah, well fear'eth not, E'lara doth be higher rank but not one to instill fear."

"Uh, y—yeah…"

"_God knows what she may be thinking; she might think I'm some kind of twisted pervert! I mean I just looked or…well I stared BUT I couldn't help it! Who just sits in the dark and doesn't say anything? It's not like I knew she was already in here!"_

"Ky, look."

"_Oh this isn't good…I'll probably be reported for being a pervert just for staring at her legs and thighs…"_

"Ky?"

Snapping form his mind, Ky looked over to Priya and answered her.

"Y—yes?"

While motioning him to come closer, she verbally extended the offer as well.

"Come and look."

Sliding across the cushioned seat, he now sat close to the window while Priya sat opposite of him. As she pointed to the window, he slightly leaned forward and looked. Priya had been pointing to the lights shooting across the sky.

"What…are those?"

Forgetting his earlier dilemma, Ky stared in amazement at the sky's display.

"Shooting stars…"

Her voice gave away her fascination while his still shook from the remaining amount of nervousness which had slowly been dying down.

"I honestly wish…"

Ky eyed her as her voice trailed.

"For…?"

Her eyes slowly closed as she leaned back into her seat.

"I wish I could hold them within my hands."

Ky said nothing as he repositioned himself to where he sat with his back straight.

"It would be wondrous if things such as this happened more often. As the world is now…"

Priya looked out the window. Despite her shoulders and up being obscured by the darkness of the carriage, he was still able to see her darkened silhouette move about. With her face obscured, Ky felt a bit more at ease; even more so when he chose not to look in her direction.

"Tis not as all would desire."

"The world is just the world though, how can you say it's not what we want?"

Unknown to him, the smallest of smiles kissed her lips.

"What is our occupation?"

"Our…occupation…?"

"Yes."

"W—we are soldiers. Serving the country and protecting it so that we can live our lives in peace and defend our lives as well as the lives of others from invaders."

"Thus we must be violent in terms of protecting ourselves. To a more accurate extent, we must kill others in order to ensure our own survival."

A sigh escaped him as he knew she had been correct.

"Attacking in order to defend and killing in the name of our emperor…"

Priya stared at the moon as she spoke.

"If we all could learn from each other and respect the boundaries and rules of others, if we did not fight, kill, defame, and much, much more…"

"Life would be much easier."

Closing her eyes and folding her hands in her lap, she nodded only once.

"That is what I would change; the violence and the madness; for us all to be one and live as one."

She spoke of a Utopia. Such things are of myths and folklore as well as religion. Religion itself, for example, Paradise is to be the realm which you are preserved as yourself; human, living, as well as an angelic being for ascending to the Celestial Plain known as Heaven. Though to digress, such things are not as easy to achieve and as mortals are, mortals cannot escape the fact that they are mortals.

"That's just life itself."

"But why does it have to be our lives?"

Priya now leaned forward. The moonlight revealed a little more than half her face. Placing her right hand above her left breast, she continued to speak.

"Why must man slaughter man in hopes of prosperity when he drags rot wherever he treks? Why must woman be treated as filth and not as an equal? Why must we kill in order to survive? Why must all of life's problems be solved with war, death and depravity?"

Staring at the young woman before him, he could see her left eye; a lovely mix of green and blue. She had her mother's eyes as well as beauty while retaining her father's swarthy complexion and Spanish accent.

"I don't know…"

Looking away from her, he looked out the window. Lamps waltzed by the window as another turn was taken. Despite the method of the streets for which they traveled, the ride was nearly soundless as well as comfortable. Yet, it was at that point that it hit him.

"_Where are we for there to be lamps like these?"_

As the carriage progressed around yet another turn, the two looked out the window. They were able to see most of the country from where the carriage had slowed and eventually come to a complete stop.

"We've arrived."

Ky nodded in silence despite the fact that neither of them could see each other. Looking down, Ky balled his fist and then relaxed it. He was not able to see his own hand. As the carriage was opened, Ky was about to step out yet, the man stopped him from doing so.

"Allow Madame Priya to exit first."

With his eerie smile, Ky sat back down. Moving towards the door, the man took Priya by the hand and aided her in exiting the carriage.

After she had gotten out and stood waiting for her second, Ky exited the carriage on his own and as he walked pass the man, the man shook his head at Ky for his lack of mannerisms.

"I do thank you for bringing us here Sir."

Bowing as she spoke her words, he smiled warmly before he said anything.

"Ah, it is the will of the Madame, therefore I follow her word, yet, you are most welcome Madame Priya."

"_Does he address everyone woman as Madame?"_

As she thought this, she and Ky were led to the large double doors of the manor. The outside alone look magnificent yet, due to the darkness of the night, many features were obscured.

"Welcome to the Manor."

Slowly opening the door, the two were greeted by an amazing sight. Inside of her mansion had been enormous and well furnished. Entering, the man closed the door after Ky had took a few steps into the manor.

As far as they could see, a painting had adorned nearly every wall and most of them were of flowers or the moon. Velvet had been draped about the tall windows and gorgeous tapestry's adorned every table. The floors were of a reflective stone and the chandelier above them had been craft from silver and gold. With her position in the military, it was not a surprise that she lived so well.

"…wow…"

After a few moments of silently drinking in the visuals of her home, the two walked about as the man informed them that he would fetch the Madame.

Looked from wall to wall, he observed the paintings. Many had the moon within them and few were of flowers, particularly roses. Priya had been looking at a different set of paintings and in these paintings, there was something familiar to her which Priya did not hesitate to alert Ky to.

"Ky…"

He nearly answered by saying _Yes Commander_, however he refrained from doing such. Coming up to her right, Ky looked at the painting which she had been looking at.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing but…are…these of Grandallian Officers?"

As he looked at the painting he realized that Priya had asked a very good question; the painting which they were both looking at resembled General Girardot, only much, much younger. In the painting he wore armor and his iconic weapon, Absolution. Absolution was a lance which had been fitting with several recurring designs built for protection as well as offense.

"Is that a Fauchard?"

Priya looked at the painting with confusion before turning to Ky.

"Tis a lance…"

"A Fauchard is insufficient in the time of war.

Her voice even gave away her confusion, yet Ky was not speaking of the lance. Instead, he pointed to the blades which encircled the lance's shaft.

"See those? Those are what I'm talking about. The guard alone look as if it's been taken from anoth…well, several weapons…"

Looking closer, Priya could now see what he had been referring to. The guard did in fact appear as if they came from other weapons opposed to being made specifically for that weapon itself.

"He did not use that against for our test…"

"Test…?"

Ky looked at Priya in a quizzical fashion.

"Yes, our test. We were to prove ourselves under true battle scenarios and the weapon the General used was much different from that."

Ky returned to observing the painting.

"Tis a monstrosity that weapon…even when they are made to be nothing more than adornments for the lance alone…"

"Ahem."

Slowly turning to her left, Priya saw the same man which had driven the carriage. Ky took a step backwards so that it would not appear as if he were trying to conceal himself behind Priya, despite it being a poor attempt due to their height difference.

"Allow me to introduce your hostess…"

As he bowed, Priya heard movement upon the stairs which were behind the man.

"Madame is this fine manor and the General of the Grandallian Military…"

"_General!"_

Ky's face was unable to hide its shock as this was said. Raisa's implore quickly flashed through his mind as did her inquiry of how he knew not such a high-ranking individual.

"I present to you, E'lara Riga."

As she descended down the steps, her outfit appeared to be a one-piece. A jacket which had been long-sleeved held designs which revealed how it was connected to her long heeled boots. A rose-esque motif had been the focus of the outfit as the lace about her thighs held the design of several roses. Her hands were covered by wrist-length white gloves and her hair gave her the appearance of a dame.

Finally reaching the ground level, she greeted both her subordinates who were both relatively in shock by her appearance.

"I trust you are both well and have or are recovering well from any injuries?"

Ky tried to speak yet he was unable to. He had still been caught off guard that this woman was considered a _General_. Not to mention the fact that he thought there had been only one _General_ itself and that _General_ being Girardot.

"All are well and very much alive Madame."

Upon speaking these words, Priya bowed which drew a small laugh from Riga.

"You needn't be so formal Priya, Riga will be just fine."

Turning to her servant, she addressed him directly after speaking to Priya.

"Fergus do show them to the second floor, the third corridor, by the fifth room please."

"Yes Madame."

With that, the man known as Fergus held a hand behind his back and his other out to the two guests.

"Would you please?"

Right after Priya took a few steps forth, Ky quickly followed. Riga observed them as they followed Fergus up the stairs.

* * *

><p>As Priya and Ky were being shown Riga' Manor, Raisa reicieved a guest herself; which was none other than Riese. The two had been speaking of what was to come. In addition to that, they spoke of differing matters as well. The two got along fairly well, though since they had just met, there were still some soft spots as well as restrictions as to what either of them were willing to share.<p>

"…it is something which I dislike."

"Dislike…but you speak of the Gospel so well as though you've attended service for years. It almost sounds as if you're running from your past."

"…it sounds as if you enjoy stalking about the night and leering from the darkness as others are blissfully unaware of your presence."

The two eyed each other. Riese's blue eyes held a neutral chill to them as Raisa's green eyes bore an excess of raging flames. Looking away from her, Riese smirked and proceeded to cross her arms, as well as her legs as she leaned against the counter. Raisa on the other hand, returned to sketching out her designs which she planned to not only craft, but add on to _Vindicate._

"I will be honest…"

Raisa did not look at Riese as she began to speak.

"Listening in on others was something that I've done as well as others, but you are no better than I."

"I never claimed to be."

"You claim such when compared to Kusanagi though."

"The point?"

"Callously pushing those away who are your allies will make it even more arduous for them to lend their aid when you need it."

Raisa ceased her sketching and lifted her head so that she could see Riese.

"He is a child. Thinking all will be helpful and praise Jesus and show mercy and kindness to all. That is not the world. You know it better than I…"

"Better? No. We all bear our path which we must follow and for us to be considered allies is rather interesting."

"…how so?"

Riese turned her head and looked over her shoulder so that she could see Raisa.

"You are…Russian raised, I can tell by your accent. Yet you look Chinese in facial appearance."

Riese blinked as Raisa narrowed her eyes.

"It doesn't strike you as suspicious that you are bi-racial while I am Welsh, furthermore, your commander and mine are also of sullied bloodlines? Not to mention Kusanagi who is purely Japanese…"

"There are things I do not yet understand. Though that I have noticed."

"Oh…?"

"They want use to craft for them but why would we need to? Before the _Border Incident_ we were tasked with such torture; but now we may have true purpose and reason but it falls too sudden for that to have occurred."

"Ah, so you do pay attention."

"More than I let others know…"

"Obviously…"

Looking away and off towards the stairs, Riese looked not to Raisa as she spoke.

"There is no fear in your eyes; is it possible that you know not what I am capable of? Do you stand before me in ignorance child?

"It is the opposite. I've seen the lies which spiders doth weave for their offspring and as that offspring grows the spiders corrupt them and use them as they see fit; illusions as well as delusions which fester throughout life and the world."

"Lo, I have seen enough of the false salvation and the dismal grandeur of the arachnids which speak venom unto my soul. The truth of death is what I seek and for it to be sought I too seek what exists beyond the ecstasy of the delusions and the penetration of the illusions for they leave me ill-sated."

"Yet for me to suffer, bleed, be torn asunder, and devoured simply for my dream to be acknowledged, then it shall be as such—do your worst…"

"Foolish determination! What is it that for which you truly seek child?

"…the truth…"

"The truth?"

Raisa repeated as she looked at Riese.

"You know it as well as I do; we will be at war and there is nothing we can do about it."

"Hmm…"

Riese was silent for a few seconds as she blankly stared out the window. She had been watching a few individuals just outside whom had, to her knowledge, appeared to be watching the soon to be shop itself.

"They have always been there…"

Without taking her eyes off the individuals, Riese responded to her words.

"So you're aware of them constantly watching you?"

"Yes."

"You find it not suspicious?"

Riese looked over her shoulder only to find Raisa looking at her with a flat expression. Turning her gaze to the individuals once more, she spoke.

"Hmph, then what do you plan to do about it?"

"When they are upon me, then I will deal with it."

Riese was silent for a second. In this silence, she narrowed her eyes and then addressed Raisa once more.

"That situation a few months back still has you hesitant in aiding others?"

Raisa ceased her work and eyed Riese. Riese, picking up on the silence, Riese added on to her words.

"If you do, it's perfectly understandable. I would not want to lend my aid to others either. In fact, I rarely do such itself to begin with."

"…humanity…is not much to save. Let alone scavenge from. So why should I risk my life and my safety to protect another, when they care not to do the same for me?"

"Do unto others as they would do unto you."

Raisa felt as if Riese had begun to repeat herself.

"…Do I look religious to you…?"

Looking at Raisa and hearing the depth of how her voice changed, Riese assumed that something had to have happened on some form of religious ground.

"Your sister appears to be so, so why not you?"

"That whore keeps the sanctity of the churches whole while the sanctity of the churches are lodged down her throat."

Riese held back the expression to show that she found what was just said amusing. She also had to fight the urge to laugh—both she did successfully.

"You're referring to Raiko?"

"It is obvious enough."

"She is playful, sexually active, actively seduces on and off the field…"

Riese turned and faced Raisa once more before she said anything else.

"You are hateful, callous, and you also show little to no concern let alone emotion to Ky. To be related is rather easy to see by features of the face, yet, other than that, not at all."

Raisa silently scoffed at Riese's words and took hold of a chisel.

"Know this, when things are too great for you to handle, and this happens to everyone, you must have at least one you can rely on."

Raisa placed her left hand to the left side of her face, yet before her hand made contact; she curled her ring and little finger. Her thumb was firmly pressed underneath her mandible while her middle and index fingers were both slightly curled and lightly pressed against her temple. With her elbow against the countertop, she turned her head in Riese's direction yet she looked not at Riese; instead, her eyes were focused on her work.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he believed you found him to be worthless—despite, him going through the same ordeal as you have while within the country."

Raisa blankly stared at her firearms as that sank in.

"Personally, if anyone is capable of enduring the same fate as I have and is trying to get through the same situation as I am, while working beside me at that, they are worth keeping as they are worth trusting."

Her eyes now watched Riese from their peripheral while Raisa remained silent.

* * *

><p>The three progressed down a corridor and finally, after several turns and passing several rooms, the trio arrived in the room which Riga had directed them to be brought to. It was not long before Riga herself, entered along with the maid from earlier.<p>

"Good evening."

As she bowed, she folded her hands.

"If there is anything that either of you may need, my name is Rebecca and I will gladly be at your service."

Recovering from her bow, Riga crossed her arms as she asked Priya a question.

"Do you know anything of the Polish?"

Caught off guard with such a question, Priya hesitated before she gave an answer.

"I know nothing of the sort Riga…"

"…Well the Swedish are still at war with the Polish near Kircholm and as I have heard, the Swedish are to be victorious."

"Madame, aren't the Swedish better prepared and better equipped than the Polish?"

"Yes, and no."

Turning to Rebecca, Riga continued on with her answer.

"The Swedish may have the manpower, but a proper defense and strategy can overpower an entire country if done properly. Yet…"

She now turned to Priya.

"If you know not that, then what do you know of Delgado?"

Ky watched Priya as she silently stumbled for words.

"Hmph, worry not of the matter…"

Casually forgetting the conversation, Riga turned and took two steps up the stairway before ceasing and addressing them both.

"Care to follow?"

Before Priya and Ky could advance, they were interrupted by Fergus.

"Madame, would you care for desert?"

"Oh…?"

Riga looked at her gloved hand and then finger by finger, pulled at the silk glove until it was off. With her bare hand, she took hold of a small edible object and bit into it. After swallowing the food, he spoke.

"Delectable, do make additional pieces for our guests."

"Yes, Madame."

With that, Fergus turned and made his way down the corridor. Watching him walk on, Riga turned to Priya and Ky and this time addressed Ky.

"Would you mind if I spoke to Delgado alone?"

Ky looked from Riga to Priya whom did not return his gaze.

"I—I don't mind…"

Her blue eyes narrowed at his sloppy speech yet, she dismissed it.

"Thank you, and worry not, I will take care of your commander."

With that, E'lara walked forth beckoning Priya to follow. Priya looked towards Ky once, her face revealed a small amount of worry while his revealed his insecurities. As she followed E'lara down the corridor, he was left with the same young woman from earlier.

Ky felt underdressed as he looked at Rebecca. Though she had been dressed in working attire, she looked much more presentable for the occasion than he did. Looking out the window, he could hear Rebecca moving about, yet he knew not what she had been doing specifically.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Ah, n—no thank you."

As he looked over to her, being polite as he declined the offer, he saw that the tea itself were already poured and piping hot. Rebecca had probably thought ahead and knew he would decline.

"Actually, I'll love some."

Turning from the window, he slowly made his way to the table and as he sat down, he notice a small platter with a thinly cut slab of what he assumed to be food.

"What's this?"

Pointing to the small dark brown object upon the platter, Rebecca smiled at his curiosity.

"It is chocolate."

"W—what is chocolate?"

Her earlier smile had now returned to a look of utter confusion.

"You know not what chocolate is?"

"Uh…"

Looking at the edible morsel known as chocolate, Ky knew not what to say. Altogether he felt as if he did not measure up to the upscale lifestyle which E'lara and Rebecca led. Though at the same time, he was not from this region of the world itself.

"Chocolate or, _Chocolatl_ if you will, was introduced to us here twenty years ago…"

"_That would mean it got here around 1585…"_

"Though I know not if you have been here for that long or not; judging by that question, I take it that you know not."

He slowly shook his head. Rebecca smiled and extended a hand out to him as she asked her next inquiry.

"Would you care for the history?"

"I…actually would like to know about the craft of that sword."

Again, he pointed. As she looked behind her, Rebecca saw the weapon he had been referring to.

"That is right, you are the _Bladesmith_."

As she stood, she beckoned him to come forth. Standing and pushing the chair back underneath the table, he proceeded to follow the young Rebecca. It was not long before they both stood before the long sword which hung amongst the wall.

"A fine sword it is."

"Yeah…"

Ky reached out to simply touch the weapon only to have his hand slapped.

"I've just cleaned that this evening, you needn't smudge it!"

"S—sorry…"

Rubbing his left hand, he made a small amount of distance from Rebecca and the mounted sword. Soon enough, he had sat himself back down at the table which tea had been prepared. Before he could take the cup in hand, he halted himself. A large object with what appeared to be strings caught his eye.

"What's that?"

As he pointed to the object, Rebecca slowly approached it and when she sat within the chair beside it, she answered him.

"A harp."

Running her fingers across it, a soft melody filled the immediate room.

"An instrument of music?"

"That it is."

Rebecca looked from the harp and over to Ky.

"Do you play an instrument of any sort?"

"I—well I don't know if it's considered one but I like the ocariba."

"Ocarina…"

"Ocarina…yeah, sorry…"

"You are apologizing for the littlest of things."

Before Ky said anything else, he scratched the back of his head.

"It is all right. After all…"

Strumming the harp once more, this time with two hands, she continued on.

"Music is what drives life."

Lightly running her slender fingers across the strings of the harp, a light melody echoed about the room. Ky felt a bit more at ease as he listened to the continuous strokes of the harp which Rebecca delivered.

"You claimed you once had a love for the ocarina, is that still true?"

Ky nodded.

"Y—yeah, my…"

As his voice trailed, Rebecca looked over to the shelf and then pointed to where she had been looking.

"There is a flute there, why not play it in tune with the harp?"

Matching where she was pointing, Ky easily identified the ocarina which was resting on a shelf next to a small stack of books.

"I myself have never played for I've yet to learn how, it would be the honor to hear one such as yourself play such an instrument. Though it is also different from the ocarina, yet, it Is just as wonderful."

Looking at Rebecca, he started to say something yet, he lost track of the words he was going to speak. Silently getting up, he slowly made his way to the shelf and when he reached it, he looked down to the ocarina. A small amount of depression took hold of him as he reached for the musical instrument.

* * *

><p>Sitting herself down within a finely crafted chair, Priya took in the view. From the balcony she sat upon, she could see most of the Walled City from here. From the Parousian Castle to the north-west to her own home which she shared with Surina; Priya could see her home fairly easily due to the fire which Surina had going upon the lot of land which they owned.<p>

"Tis magnificent…"

As Riga sat herself down, she could not help but smile from her subordinate's amazement.

"This is one of the best features of this manor."

Looking to the land below, she continued.

"It is not the jewelry, the upscale living, or the wine…well yes to the wine, yet, that is a differing matter."

Priya gave a small smile to the joke which she had given. Just as Ky, this had also been the first time that Priya had met E'lara Peteras as well. Unlike Ky, she knew full-well whom she was as well as her position. Priya knew that Riga had the power to promote as well as demote soldiers as well as assign who winds up in what unit; though she had no authority over _Special Tactics_ as Girardot did.

"This is a rather attractive location though."

"Indeed it is."

Her voice still revealed her amazement.

"A fine home you have Riga."

A small smile spread across her lips as she reached out and took hold of a glass. Priya had not noticed the wine which had already been poured and the fact that a separate glass itself had been sitting in front of Priya.

Holding the beautiful glass before her within her bare hand, she studied it as she spoke her next words.

"To embrace the wind and the lovely touch, for the touch itself is the very gift of life. For we stood in all against so much. We live to glimpse and hope to cling."

Rotating the glass in between her fingers, she continued.

"We see the day and another spring. Now and then we rejoice our love for we bear the fruits from above. Undying passion and bonds in light, we shall soon see the world through another sight."

Priya looked at Riga after a few seconds of silenced had passed. She wanted to comment on how beautiful it was yet, she could not help but wonder what it truly means for her to say such things. Priya thought her words held a different meaning that what it appeared to be.

"How is it that you plan to spend the last few days of peace?"

Priya stammered. Looking to her subordinate and the fact that her hands were folded in her lap, she spoke once more.

"The wine is for you Priya…"

Crossing her legs and her arms, Riga continued.

"Also, you are acting much more nervous that your second."

"I apologize."

"For…?"

Priya looked over to the glass of wine which she had yet to touch. She had been looking for the right words to say. For some reason she felt nervous while before her.

"This is nothing but a…as some would say, a 'meet and greet'. I would have invited Surina yet, I doubt that woman would enjoy such pleasantries."

"W—what of Annebella?"

"Hm? Annebella and I are already well acquainted. You are the only one I know little to nothing of let alone seek to know anything of."

Priya was cut off before she could speak.

"Wine is incapable of drinking itself."

With that said; she looked to the glass and slowly reached out to it. The glass was red and the wine had been redder than blood. The glass itself, rather the portion which contained the wine, nearly overlapped her small and dainty hands.

"Your words…"

Before she could sip her wine, Priya spoke. This annoyed Riga yet she voiced it none.

"You know of the war to come?"

"I do."

"H—how will it happen or will it simply wash out?"

"Dalkia, rather, that whorish minx…"

Priya could easily hear the hatred in Riga' voice.

"...Will do whatever _it_ can so that _it_ can sustain itself as well as its pride."

"Aurelia…I see…"

"Aurelia Dichalla Dolce...she only came to power after the sudden death of the former King, thus giving Dalkia their first and only Queen."

Priya looked to the wine within her glass as Riga continued to explain the backstory of Dalkia.

"If memory serve me correctly, your sister, Surina, ventured forth to Dalkia just a few years ago and was fairly elated. D-"

"I know nothing of why she would be such."

With this hastened answer, Riga thought to press the matter yet, she knew Priya was not one to be trampled upon. No matter how calm, kind, and sincere she may be, even Priya had her limits and when it came to Surina, her attitude quickly changed. Riga decided to avoid the issue with Surina and she returned the original topic.

"...she married the head of the Dalkian military practically during the funeral."

"That soon? Or are you simply saying tis be suspicious?"

"Of course, it is suspicious. Though they are not truly married, they do carry on as such. Despite the fact that the whore was originally part of his...harem."

Priya shuddered as this entered her ears.

"Ah yes, she was. The other women whom served the King were killed due to 'suspicion' and conspiracy."

"In the end, you believe Aurelia killed her King?"

Riga smirked as she looked Priya directly in her eyes.

"Believing is foolish. I know she killed him just as several others. There simply is no form of evidence to prove it and for Roin to cover for her as he has, it proves that she has murdered the man and to gain favor, she reinstated the war against the Halteese."

"That is a rather serious accusation Riga..."

"_'Tis'_ true, but there is no other explanation and the people's insouciance is despicable; though sadly it proves my point rather finely.

After drinking a little more wine, Priya cupped her glass with both hands in her lap.

"...and what point would that be?"

"…that humanity strives for understanding and dominance."

"Dominance…?"

As the moonlight brightly shined down on the land, the two of them had sat out and upon one of many balconies. There had been aged wine as the beverage of choice and fresh fruit arranged upon their plates. Priya had been sitting to E'lara's left as this conversation progressed into the night. As always, E'lara had been elegantly dressed even though the day was practically at an end. The jacket she wore was that of a noble's and her skirt came down to her ankles though it had a slit which revealed a long, smooth, and toned left leg. Her boots were open and revealed her feet from all angles yet, above her ankles had been completely covered. Not a doubt crossed Priya's mind that these boots were custom made.

"Yes, dominance; from brothels, you see those who own women, beat and abuse them how they see fit in order to keep their wills broken and the feelings of hopelessness at a high. With this done, they will never decide to act against their captors or…business managers."

The night was still and calm. A gentle breeze had been a constant this night and the candlelight had been the main source of illumination indoors. Its radiant glow had played about the balcony and it even reflected within the glasses filled with fine wine. Priya had looked to the silver moon as she took her glass to her thin lips. Ingesting the wine was heavenly to her tongue and it had also been sweet, even though Priya had only enjoyed wine on occasion, this was one exception. Especially since she had been offered wine from her senior as well as being invited to her private residence, Priya truly took this as Riga _'__getting to know her subordinate.__'_

"Ah, I understand."

She replied as she set her glass upon the rounded table. This response gained a small chuckle from Riga. She held eyes of the emerald and had skin which was soft and fair. This same skin of hers had been lightly kissed by the sun while her hair was a light autumn brown. Her cosmetics were visible upon her eyelids as she blinked yet, Riga had been speaking with her eyes closed for most of the conversation. She had in fact been enjoying the wine which she had mostly consumed.

"Do you now?"

She inquired as she set her glass down upon the small round table. Her eyes were still closed as she did this.

"Things are like this: You must have power in order to control those who lack power, whether it is in numbers or just against a single individual. As your influence spreads, there will be those who wish to strip you of your power and take it for themselves. This is how wars are waged—for power, glory, dominance, and most of all, control."

Riga now crossed her legs, her right over her left as she continued to explain.

"That is how the world thrives…we are born, we grow, we meet our wives and our husbands, we are bed with them for the night of pleasure and ecstasy whether it be for the future of a child or if that…"

She trailed as she turned away from Priya. She was in thought of the next word she should use. Wrapping her slender fingers around her glass she lifted it but took it not to her lips.

"…I know not the name of that leather pouch…it is a method of contraception yet, I am afraid the name escapes me at this time."

Priya purposely coughed due to the topic at hand which Riga immediately noticed.

"…An odd topic for you Commander?"

She asked just before she brought her glass to her lips.

"…it is…an unusual one…" She barely managed to say just that due to the fact that her face had begun to redden.

"There are a few points to that topic though,"

She informed her as she leaned back within her chair, her glass, nearly empty, was in between her right middle and ring fingers and her arm rested upon her right thigh.

"…by ear and by sight I know how the soldiers talk and when you were brought up, well, it was practically impossible for me to relax as I am now."

She made a gesture by raising her right arm ever so slightly to get her point across.

"Additionally, I know not how you function behind closed doors, so I do give my implore that it is not wise to enjoy the fruits of your labor."

Priya now blinked in utter shock yet, before she could say anything Riga lifted her left hand with her palm facing the commander.

"I am not saying you are promiscuous by any means, I am only saying that it is unwise to engage in any of them."

Riga had lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. Priya could see the reflection of the moon in Riga' eyes from the distance she had been sitting at.

"The common soldier thinks that with his status he can have what he wants and who he wants. This again, ties back to power. Now that they have a taste of it, they want to spread their influence and power. Although, it seems as if it matches none, it actually does. Accomplishing a task which is honored is something which delivers status, wealth, power among other things. So it is that for which I give my implore for which I too, hope you do heed."

Riga had now looked down to the table and reached for a fork. After she had taken it within her grasp, she lightly tapped it against her glass. Within seconds, footsteps were heard and from within the mansion, Fergus appeared.

"Yes Madame?"

Getting a better look at him, she could see that he was well beyond her years. His black hair was tied into a tail and his black hair had also been graying.

"May we have more wine please?"

"Yes Madame, I shan't be long."

Before Fergus was out of earshot, Riga added one other request.

"Oh, and could you please bring the nearest Silphium?"

"Yes Madame."

With that, he quickly vanished within the mansion.

"Silphium?"

Turning her gaze to Priya, Riga nodded once while paying attention to her attire.

"I do enjoy the sight of your dress as well Commander, though yes, Silphium."

Priya wore a long dress with twin slits running from her ankles to the middle of her thighs. She had been covered until just above her breasts. Her shoulders were covered by a light blue shawl which was permeable to the eye and within her ears she held three earrings each. These earrings were of pure silver and if stolen they would be worth quite the price.

"T—thank you…"

"Yet, as you did say, Silphium…yes, I've a bit of it here but it is terribly rare to find and it is what I've sold among other things in order to attain what I can here."

"What exactly be…this Silphium? Be it a metal of sorts?"

Riga chuckled as she looked to her glass of wine.

"Silphium once existed hundreds of years ago within Greece and it is something which can produce a fall in pregnancy,"

Looking to Priya, she was not enthralled as Priya tensed once more.

"The demand for it was simply too great in those years just as other contraceptive means are so common and sought in this day and age. In honesty, Silphium was depended on so greatly that it has simply been used to the last of its genus. Though, having discovered some area of that plant to grow, I've sold a few here and there for a _fair_ price."

"You sold this plant for others to use? Be it not for decoration but the stopping of pregnancy?"

Riga nodded and simultaneously extended her left arm so that she could receive a refill of wine. Priya was more focused on Riga' words than anything else. She had not even noticed the return of her servant. After her glass had been refilled, he asked Priya if she wanted more wine yet; he corrected his words and dismissed his inquiry since Priya had not finished even half of her glass.

"Madame, shall I still bring the Silphium?"

"Ah, there is not a need."

Bowing her servant recovered and turned to leave.

"Fergus,"

The servant, Fergus twisted around and immediately answered Riga after she called him.

"It is late into the night; do enjoy yourself till Monday and do pass this along to Rebecca as well."

"Yes Madame and thank you Madame."

Without a sound, Fergus had vanished into the mansion yet again.

"You relieve your servants regularly?"

"I do,"

Riga calmly replied as she smiled.

"…In my opinion, the more you treat your servants with dignity, respect, and give them decent compensation, the longer your servant will enjoy performing their tasks and you also build more trust with them as well."

Riga chuckled yet again.

"Fortunately for myself, Rebecca has a love for music and will more than likely play about the harp for a time before she doth leave."

"Ah…"

"Though it changes nothing, the ways to prevent childbirth are always changing."

Looking to Priya, Riga could see her dislike for the subject and also that this segue was not as smooth as she wanted it to be. Especially since Riga leapt right back to the subject almost randomly.

"Do you wish to bear children someday Priya?"

Her eyes flared in alarm to the question while her mouth slowly fell agape.

"It is only a simply question, no need for alarm or…are you simply frozen by the very thought of sexual relations?"

Silence resumed as Priya refused to answer the question.

"Madame,"

After acknowledging Fergus, she continued.

"…need you anything before I am off?"

Riga declined anything else to be done and bid Fergus the night.

"…and I do wish a good night to you as well Madame Priya."

"Do enjoy your time Fergus and goodnight."

It was after Fergus had left and Riga returning to her wine once more before Riga' next question was brought about.

"Are you a Christian woman Commander Priya?"

Priya herself blinked at this question and she had also hesitated to answer.

"I suppose not, for one who's name doth mean _Water Moon_, I doubt Christ would be of your line."

Priya said not a word though her face easily told Riga that she was not only confused but somewhat offended.

"My point is that within the bible, Onan, as it is written within the _Book of Genesis_, spilt his seed to the ground so that his brother's wife Tamar; his brother is deceased mind you,"

Riga pointed a slender finger at her to make her point of infidelity not being the case.

"…so that he would not impregnate her. This itself proves of a method of not impregnating a woman and again, a way to avoid bringing a child into the world and it is written in none other than the bible. There is also another text of religion which goes by the name of the _Talmud_; this text of Babylonian scripture states that _'__there be only three women who may cohabit with a sponge, these women are: those which are minors, those which are pregnant women, and lastly those which are nursing children.__'_ Now even within religion and the holy of all things, it is even said that child prevention was performed and rarely is ill-advised if not truly ill-advised to begin with and not even I can say that it is ill-advised since it is unclear who wrote each religious scripture. All in all, it very well may be a group of individuals whom conspired the bible and all its contradictions itself."

"Where exactly do you place your point to Riga?"

The higher-ranking female quickly but cautiously rotated her glass in between her right middle and ring fingers before she looked at her subordinate.

"…Control and power as well as supply and demand; each works hand in hand. As contraceptive techniques advance the demand will continue to grow for the youth of today knows only the phallus for which they desire, or the pleasure if you will. Also, as time marches on, you will inevitably see when rulers shall fall and the people themselves will learn some decent form of proposing who leads the people instead of it being of falsified divine blood which is to inherit such a task such as ruling others and a land that more than likely the youth care nothing for. As for these youths, rulers, and villagers… or peasants of the like, most care nothing for the consequences and if responsibility beckons them they are bound to flee."

Sipping from her glass, Riga slowly swallowed and released a relaxed sigh before she continued on; however, as she continued, her eyes were closed.

"The Emperor spreads his forces in order to establish his superiority and those who refuse are slaughtered by the masses; while fear, it is always and always will serve as the primary weapon to be used against those who do survive the massacre."

"…I see."

With her words she looked to her glass of wine. Priya was more than uncomfortable with the topic at hand; being sexual intercourse was being tied so closely to the very form which their country had been in and the fact that Riga was one whom normally aided others in the stopping of such a natural thing.

"I take it you've experimented these con…contraceptive means yourself?"

Riga herself nearly gagged as she drank. Retaining her composure and setting her glass upon the table she looked Priya over for a quick second.

"Well…such a bold question for one whom dislikes the subject of sexual matters—though, to answer your question, no, I've done nothing of the sort and quite frankly, I doubt I ever will."

Taking her glass within her hand after that explanation, Riga looked to the rim of the glass as it reflected the moonlight.

"There simply isn't one who matches my taste and in my years up until now, there hasn't been one I've been interested in even for the slightest of a time."

As Riga took in a breath, Priya proposed a question.

"I understand that you are waiting for the person to sweep you from your feet be it romantically I assume, yet, isn't love all you truly need?"

"Security of my future,"

She began as she continued to stare at the rim of her glass.

"…one who will not dare raise his hand to me for I refuse to allow such disgusting behavior. He would need to tend to himself, his land, and his responsibilities."

Lowering her glass and looking to Priya, who now was quick to return the observing eye to Riga, she blinked none as she continued on with her beliefs.

"A safe marriage and secure future is what I desire and it need not bloodshed…the people's _"Lord"_ knows that I've seen enough of it."

With this she took her glass to her lips and drank.

What she had said made perfect sense. After the golden days of marriage, some wives were beaten if things were not entirely done correctly. Furthermore Riga had a strong point of not wanting to deal with a husband who was of such nature and Priya wanted that neither yet, Riga had also stated that _the people's Lord_ which told Priya that Riga was not a Christian. As Priya continued to deduce things from Riga' words, she had not realized that Riga had resumed her more relaxed position of sitting.

"I also do hear you have successfully attained Zhirov into _Gungnir_ as well. Many congratulations for your success."

Riga raised her glass in silent cheer for Priya and then brought her glass to her lips yet again. It took her a moment but she came back from her thoughts and answered her.

"It was not a gargantuan chore and I see not why I must be congratulated on such a thing."

After this was said, Riga set her glass upon the table and looked Priya dead within her eyes.

"Raisa was capable of bringing that glory-seeking child to the dirt ground in front of every lieutenant, captain, and commander which serves within the military,"

Slightly turning her head, she still kept her eyes upon Priya.

"…do you know how many have actually brought about her fall in a match of sparring?"

Priya informed Riga that she knew not the answer.

"That's correct."

Priya looked at her in a quizzical fashion.

"Be it that Abelia knew not defeat?"

Riga slowly nodded.

"After Abelia, Lieutenant Kagami was her next opponent which she had bested. From there was Lieutenants Brunhild, and Konomi, among others; but the main opponent she was so sought after for, was Agave."

"Agave?"

Priya immediately repeated.

"She be of the Emperor's personal knights!"

Riga smirked and nodded.

"True it be. Strife…thought it be a matter of pride between the two of them,"

Riga now sounded heavily annoyed if not agitated.

"It was a sickening thing to do really, he was so fixed on Raisa losing the match that he even wanted to have the match be for his eyes only but that would spark much suspicion so he chose not to."

"That makes…"

"If a soldier, who is forced to battle opponent after opponent suddenly dies after the match was to be held within the sight of the Emperor only would cause a decrease in those who may be eager to join the military. Especially if word has spread so quickly of the aforementioned soldier, being Raisa, defeating opponent after opponent. It would shine darkly upon the military and you know as well as I that behavior that shines darkly is enough for lashes if not the gallows. That is of course, for everyone else aside from the Emperor; though he would face no crime to be judged upon, the decrease would still threaten his forces."

The utter truth Riga had spoken and Priya knew it even though she rarely acknowledged this fact.

Priya now said not a word. Instead, she took her glass to her lips and slowly drank from it.

"That again would be power—just in an abused form. His influence was being threatened as his soldiers were being bested one by one and for them to be high ranking officials, he grew mad with envy and anger. Even with one of his best knights, being his personal knight at that, being summoned to fight, he was all the more red in his face which was once so pallor earlier that morning."

Riga chuckled before continuing.

"As you can assume, Raisa bested Agave and her twin sickles but it be not by much that she was victorious,"

Riga sipped more of her wine before she continued.

"Raisa was heavily fatigued and to my knowledge, the only thing which kept her alive was her will. Despite her injuries from each of her matches—minus Abelia,"

Riga' smile had given birth to her earlier mood of utter relaxation.

"…she barely managed to defeat Agave. Even after the battle had concluded, her fatigue was quite visible as well was her exposed gashes and other wounds."

Priya had shifted her position of sitting and now, she sat with her heels touching and her glass had been cupped in both her hands. Her forearms rested upon her legs.

"I only witnessed her match with Abelia…"

Her voice trailed as she looked to the waltzing flame of one of the candles inside the mansion.

"You missed much then dear, she is a very capable youth and unyielding at that. She is also younger than the both of us as well as I've heard."

"Younger?"

Priya now looked to Riga whom had slowly taken her glass from her lips.

"That she is. She be not even twenty years of age yet and the same goes for your second in command, though, he is nowhere near as formidable as Raisa, who last I saw, is still suffering from her injuries. Again though, I do congratulate you."

Priya hid her smile even though she did not want to.

"What made you choose him as you second instead of Raisa?"

Riga now asked as she bobbed her right foot to the melody of the harp which had been emanating from within the mansion. As she did this, Priya sipped more of her first glass of wine. It was now just above half full. Resting her arms upon her legs once more she looked at her wine and the reflection of the candles illumination which reflected brightly within her wine glass.

"…I believe that we can learn from each other much more effectively than having one driven by anger and hate serving as my second."

Riga eyed Priya as she took her glass to her lips.

"You see it just as I, Raisa holds much more hatred than either you or I and that is not what needs to serve as my second's main focus."

Setting her glass upon the table, Priya locked her eyes onto the small flickering light in the distance. It had been coming from a dwelling from the land below them.

"All for which would come from her would be ways to kill each enemy when defensive parameters are best over demolishing every threat which comes to us. Ky acts more on defensive and evasive maneuvers when in combat and even when engaged in a conversation he is calm and relaxed. Nervous but mostly calm."

"I see…"

Her eyes had narrowed as Priya voiced the reason of her choice and paid close attention to her body language as she spoke as well. From this, Riga knew that Priya had not been entirely honest.

"Well, I do hope you learn from each other as you say you will."

Again, Riga raised her glass.

"Cheers,"

Priya held a quizzical look upon her face as Riga said that word.

"…To good friends, a new life, and a promising future."

Catching on to her cheer, Priya took her glass and lifted it, lightly tapping it against Riga' glass. Yet at that same moment that this was done, Priya turned her head towards the mansion.

"Music?"

"It seems to be."

Priya was about to commend Riga for truly welcoming her guests but the way she had spoken those words gave Priya pause as to who had been playing the music, let alone why.

"Rebecca enjoys the harp and often plays when she is restless, though the…flute…?"

As her voice trailed, Priya looked at her with slight confusion.

"Be it that Ky plays as well?"

"I assume, though he is of your _Gungnir_, so you should know that right?"

Priya slightly sulked as this hit her. Looking at her glass, she thought of how little she knew of Ky, Raisa and now as she thought of it, Meiga as well.

"_I know practically nothing of them…"_

Unless it involved the military in some fashion or their physical appearance, Priya truly was left in the dark when it came to her paradigm. As Riga stood, she requested that Priya accompany her so that they could listen to the music itself. Priya quickly stood and noticed that Riga did not have her wine, seeing this, she left her glass and followed Riga back into the manor.

* * *

><p>"You are doing magnificent."<p>

Strumming her harp as Ky played the flute, they were unaware that they had drawn an audience. As Priya watched Ky blow into the flute, she felt a small portion of her heart lift while Rebecca's harp allowed her to truly relax.

Ky sat at the table with his head down and his eyes closed playing the flute while Rebecca sat alongside her harp and played in junction with Ky.

"He's finely crafted that one."

As this was whispered into Priya's ear, she nodded in silence as she continued to listen. It took not long for them to finish and as Ky lifted his head, he froze as he saw both Riga and Priya. Rebecca turned after seeing his face and she too looked on in slight embarrassment.

"Very attractive to the ear…"

After this was said, Ky felt a small amount of relief as did Rebecca. The two looked at each other, Ky with a small smile while Rebecca's was wide enough to tear the flesh from her own face. Before anyone could say anything else though, a chime echoed all throughout the manor.

Riga and Priya both looked to the grandfather clock beside them as it chimed. The time was now eleven o' clock into the night. Riga looked at the clock for a few seconds before turning to Priya.

"You should both prepare for your leave soon."

"P—Riga? Are you throwing us out?"

Priya asked with slight disappointment. Despite being nervous for most of the night, she had been reinvigorated by the music itself.

"Not at all…"

She closed her eyes after she said this.

"I've merely another party which I must entertain."

"Tis rather late…"

"It is, but as things are at peace, it is best to enjoy it."

Rebecca and Ky began to converse amongst themselves as she walked past Priya, she did not stop walking as she spoke once more.

"Annebella and Raisa aren't far off from what is to come Priya, so you may want to enjoy all you can and maybe even find a husband for…special occasions if you want."

Again, Priya immediately flustered. Riga turned and looked at Priya before she exited the room.

"Though do not be a stranger, if you need something, I'll be sure to introduce you to… a discount of sorts."

With a smile so small, Riga waved her hand as she left a flustered Priya with Rebecca and Ky.

* * *

><p>"Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one."<p>

Riese watched the soldiers outside as they carried out their rounds. She curled her right index and by curling it as she had done, it produced a popping sound. A few seconds had passed before she spoke.

"Just not all are filled with meaningless drivel, or as your comparison is applied, shit."

Raisa chuckled to herself from her response.

"Precisely…"

Riese watched Raisa as she blew dust out of the barrel she had been crafting. Raisa had been making modifications to her revolvers and she was not afraid let alone hesitant to work in front of Riese. Riese had truly been focusing on had been Raisa's physique. Her arms were built as if she were a young man as well as defined as such. In physical appearance, when it came to muscle, Riese knew that Raisa outclassed her, yet in combat, she knew not who would be the victor.

"Is something wrong?"

Riese waived off the question, her way of saying _no_.

"Then you should not stare…"

Raisa set the barrel down and then placed a hand upon the trigger well.

"It makes some nervous."

"You dislike being stared at? Do you fear I find you attractive?"

Taking up her chisel, Raisa smirked before she responded.

"If you do, then it will not work. You've much more the rate of success if you seek Raiko."

Instantly Riese shuddered, which Raisa noticed and after noticing, she laughed.

"You jest so easily when it comes to her yet, you grow hostile when others do…that is hypocrisy at its finest."

Quickly ended her laughter, Raisa looked to Riese.

"…family can tear away at each other because we are family…"

Crossing her arms, Riese continued to listen.

"Family can do a plethora of things to you, and because they are family, you can tolerate it and forgive them. But if an outsider is to do such, then it is not the same."

"…"

Rising from her stool, Raisa took up the trigger-well in hand along with the pan, barrel, and the trigger itself. As she took a few steps to her right, Raisa dropped the pan. A small and thin strip of steel it was, yet before she could react to catch it, Riese had already caught the object within her hand; without turning around at that.

"You should be more careful with such equipment."

Placing it upon the countertop, Raisa narrowed her eyes as Riese pushed herself away from the counter. As she advanced towards the door a light smirk was painted upon Raisa's lips.

"I will be cautious not to make error next time."

Riese said not another word as she opened the door while Raisa placed the parts back down upon the countertop. To follow this, just as the door shut behind her, Raisa placed her elbows upon the countertop and watched Riese as she walked in front of the window.

"_Interesting…"_

* * *

><p>Silently watching the carriage depart from her home, Riga slowly blinked as she observed Fergus command the horses which drew the carriage. With little wine left within her glass, she sits in silence as the country beneath her silently sleeps. There was another matter which needed her attention and not only her attention, but this very country's attention itself. Though the country would soon know what it needed to know. She was certain of that prediction.<p>

As she blankly stared at her glass of wine, the clicking of heels caught her attention. Not one set, but two. That would mean that her guest as well as friend had arrived. Tardy as always, yet never beyond five minutes. It seemed to Riga, since this was consistent enough, to be willingly intentional. One set of heels ceased before making contact with the balcony, this told her that Rebecca had stopped before drawing to near-something which she was taught to always do. The second set continued on until it was a few feet from her.

Youthful and jovial, her guest's aura even felt as if it had been a happy one despite the news they brought. Heaving a sigh, she then spoke.

"I trust you've been well?"

A smile quickly spread across her guest's lips.

"Of course, have you not been in great care?"

"Care yes, situations, not at all."

Riga looked to her friend yet said nothing. Her arms were crossed as she stood before her. Her face was filled with her own happiness yet her eyes revealed the truth of the matter.

"Say, have you any wine?"

Despite speaking to her friend, E'lara, Rebecca took a step forward and spoke.

"Do you require a particular wine Miss Noel?"

Her head snapping upwards, Noel looked behind her and saw Rebecca standing with her feet together and her hands folded, her smile was warm and her eyes revealed her good nature.

"White wine please."

Bowing, Rebecca then took her leave to fetch Riga' new guest her wine.

"It has been a while hasn't it?"

"Far longer than expected."

Riga looked at the woman named Noel as she spoke.

"It does seem that we are to be in for, as most soldiers say, a _'shit storm'_?"

"Indeed you are E'lara."

Noel was a few inches shorter than Riga. She was beautifully tanned and held the eye color of the sweetest honey. With natural red hair along with speech, grace, and poise, most often wanted to make her their wife. Yet, Noel sought no such thing for she enjoyed to travel opposed to being strapped to a single dwelling.

Her dress was black, fitted with red lace just as her heels and hose. Jewelry covered her neck, arms and her wrists and she also had two piercings with silver earrings in each ear. Younger than Riga but equal in financial status.

"I trust your random invitation went well?"

"Your wine Miss Noel."

Turning to Rebecca as she bowed, Noel reached and took her glass of chilled white wine.

"Ah, thank you darling."

"It is my pleasure."

Rebecca quickly makes distance from them and stands within the manor awaiting her next order.

"It was a decent get-to-gether, though she cares for those whom are allied to her but dwells too deeply upon emotion. She also lacks the fundamentals of some conversation and too, is also lacking in areas of life and the world."

She stared at the moon as Noel sipped her wine.

"Are you going to sit?"

Noel smiled and also giggled.

"Since when do I sit E'lara?"

Sipping from her glass once more, Riga, with her free hand, unlatched her heels and took them off. Despite them looking as if they were completely attached to the rest of her attire, her heels were different. With latched hidden about ankles disguised as a design, she was able to pass it off without even trying.

Her back meeting the chair once more, she now rested her bare feet within the chair that Priya had once occupied. Her right leg was straight while her left leg had been partially bent and as such, Riga' left foot was flat upon the chair's surface while her right rested upon its heel.

"The youngest Delgado hath much to learn."

Bringing her glass to her lips, Riga halted before she took another sip.

"Though, these are menial faults. Not many know much outside of their own country. Some know not much of what goes on within it as well."

"Life is controlled by those whom have power and those whom have power use that same power to influence others as they so forth see fit for they wish to maintain their power and if something threatens that power, then the threat is erased."

"What the powerful wish to be deemed as normal, they pass the law as such. Justice is only what those with power wish it to be. In the end, there is only what people with power want you to believe as they instill their own beliefs within you."

As Riga took in a breath, she balled the toes of her left foot and then allowed them to relax. In her silence, Noel spoke.

"That is the world we are living in. Clinging to one believing they can protect us all when in fact they rely on the ones they protect and instill fear whether unconsciously or intentional. That's how all kingdoms and republics function."

Noel now took a step towards Riga and looked at her friend before her. Riga looked from her glass and locked eyes with Noel and smirked as Noel extended her arm in order to toast to such a grim fact. Obliged by that jovial and intellectual view, Riga lifted her arm and a second later a light _ting_ could be heard.

"Cheers."

Despite Riga being the only one to say it, the two of them drank from their glasses until their was nothing left, which Rebecca immediately refilled. Giving Rebecca her thanks, Riga hesitated none in drinking from her glass once more. After this, she lowered her arm and allowed it to rest across her thighs while Noel drank deep from her glass before adding on to the _cheers_ Riga had given.

"…cheers to such a low and callous existence which humanity doth live…"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter <strong>**VI**** End**

_End Notes:_

The date is Thursday, September the twenty-fourth

Priya is extremely nervous about sexual behavior and would rather not discuss certain things with certain people.

Riga is a high ranking official within the military and is just beneath General Girardot. She outranks any commander, captain, and lieutenant by far and is even capable of stripping another officer of their rank as well as promoting lower ranks to higher ranks.

Riga also made a fortune harvesting plants and other means of contraception which have proven to be a great investment as she has only been within her mansion for a few months over a year.

Another hobby of hers is collecting paintings or creating works of art herself. She has sold paintings she has completed and she has also acquired paintings from famous artists and has sold them to the highest bidder as well. These things are only a fraction of what Riga keeps from the minds of most people.

Noel loves to travel the world and has brought information for Riga (E'lara), to hear.

Despite being young, Noel has a fortune of her own and oft visits Parousia to see Riga.

Riga has a love for red wine while Noel loves white wine.

**Vocab**

Silphium: A plant which has long since gone extinct due to its overuse. This plant held contraceptive properties which eliminated the fear of pregnancy.

Fauchard: A pole-arm weapon which was used from the eleventh to fourteenth century. This pole-arm holds a curved blade which rests upon the shaft/pole which may range from six to seven feet. This design made the weapon appear to be a scythe, possibly a scare tactic since Death/The Grim Reaper, in Western folklore uses such a weapon to reap the souls of those whom have died.

A Fauchard is also called a _fauchard-fork_ as well as _guisarme_ or _bill-guisarme_ as this weapon appears to be that of a hook.


	8. Act: I Chapter: VII

**Act: I**

**Chapter VII**

* * *

><p>Opening his light brown eyes, he slowly pushed himself off the desk he had been napping on and yawned. Scratching the back of his head, he looked out the window and saw that it had still been daylight, although due to the lantern which had been burning brightly just outside of the window, he was not entirely able to tell just how much daylight was left in the day itself. Getting to his feet, he ran his hands through his shaggy dark brown hair and again, yawned. He had decided to take a nap after reading from the book he had purchased before he was sent out to patrol the border. It had only been at times such as this, that he could be seen with his hair in such a tossed fashion. Reaching in front of him and taking a small accessory which had been lying on the desk he had slept at, he cinched his wild hair with his right hand so that he could place it within the long tail. After the first band was in place and wrapped around his long hair, he took hold of his loose hair and with both hands behind his head, he slowly began to untangle his hair. He thought of braiding it, yet he chose not to. He had learned this from his mother and by watching her in a mirror from a young age; he was able to learn how to recreate the style which he had known for roughly his entire life. Not only that, but braiding his hair and leaving it as such was something that his mother found to be "cute". Despite it being his mother's affection, he thought it odd to wear his hair in a braided fashion. That and for the fact that he was of Japanese descent, not Chinese.<p>

Despite being the second in command to one of the few units to not only have females but to also have the Commanding Officer a female as well, he was seen by others to be less than deserving of his position. This was due to his inexperience in combat and his lack of foresight. When he had been compared to other males in different units, most often, Ky was ruled as having low potential to accomplish anything. A few had even gone as far to say he was better off as Priya's shield if anything and if not a shield, then the cloth that has fulfilled its use of wrapping around the bottoms of newborn babes.

It took not even ten minutes for him to finish his ritual of untangling and dressing his hair. When he was finished Ky extended his arms above his head, his shoulders produced a crackling sound which would normally frighten people but since he was alone, he need not worry of anything. Now making his way from his small room, Ky had opened a door and then entered the Shoppe area of the home. His home was the Shoppe that he and Raisa had set up. There was an upper level where Raisa slept and then the ground level where a door divided Ky's small bedroom from the work area. Additionally, behind the counter was yet another area which contained scrap which ranged from hilts, pommels, pans, barrels, lock-springs and other things that which involved their trades.

Ky was a Gunsmith. In order to make ends meet as well as to not be hung, he crafted weaponry and firearms for the military and in addition to that he also knew the ins and outs of being a Bladesmith and he excelled in performing finishing touches upon his works as well. Of course, Raisa on the other hand, her main talent was using the Forge to craft armor as well as blades and ranged weapons. As much as he knew, her revolvers, _Heartless_ and _Vindicate_ she deemed them, they had been of her own making and if it were true, then she was on an entirely different field of craft than he was. Either way, they both served under the military and now that they both had graduated their training and were both assigned to a unit (not to mention the same unit) neither of them had to craft as often due to their new responsibilities as soldiers of the Grandallian Army; though, Raisa still found it to be an issue that Ky had taken this so lightly.

Although Ky had gotten this far without much a choice, he often stopped to wonder just where he wanted to go in his life. Normally when he thought of such things he could never have an answer but instead, he could do nothing more than woolgather and picture marriage in his future even though, he knew that he was far from being acceptable on any particular list.

Heaving a sigh, he looked outside yet again, however through another window, he was able to now accurately tell that dusk was approaching, and that a couple of civilians as well as soldiers were all heading in one direction. As he watched them walk by, he noticed a tall individual and as he studied the said individual he knew of it to be Archer from Surina's unit _Exodus_. There was little mistaking Archer in a crowd due to his height; especially since he stood over six feet.

To his surprise, along with Archer, Ky spotted a few other soldiers which he knew by sight or have met; he identified Meiga, who was speaking with an unknown male with blonde hair and what appeared to be a lance over his shoulder, Raiko whom had been surrounded by males of other units—possibly planning to get free liqueur, and he also saw the Commander of the unit _Relic_ along with her second in command, Arrai. Arrai he had never met yet he had heard stories of her. Not only that, but her features allowed her to be spotted nearly anywhere.

Arrai was tanned in complexion. Most oft deemed it _sun-kissed_. She was attractive to the eye yet cold and calculating as he had heard. What made her stand out had been the two bright marking over and under her eyes. They were pale white lines which ran from her eyelids down to her cheeks. Most claimed her to be a witch, however; her commanding officer, Annebella, vouched for her as well as her heritage. Yet one thing that seemed to always come up had been Arrai's hair; it had been as white as the clouds on a warm sun-filled day. Most people shunned her or were afraid of her, yet she was slowly earning her keep as well as the trust of those who were of this country. In a sense, Ky thought of Arrai, Raisa, and himself having a bit of the same problem; the only difference is that Arrai had not killed an individual of this country upon her first day of arriving as he and Raisa had.

As his mind wandered, he eventually came to the thought of where they were all going at this time of day until he recalled that the _Svipul_ had been in the direction which they were all heading. The _Svipul_ was a tavern that had been run by a German female who was named Nikita. Her tavern often attracted numerous customers due to the beautiful waitresses and the low prices of the liquor and imported liqueurs. Ky also recalled that there was a rumor that Nikita had been a merchant and her waitresses were bought from distant lands while also selling people as well, of course, he would not involve himself in anything of that nature let alone dare begin to attempt to find out if either of those cases had been true.

Leaning against the counter, he noticed that there had been a large parchment lying on it. As he prepared to observe it he was unable to do so as the front door had opened. Ky assumed it to be Raisa returning from whatever she had gone to do but to his surprise it was not Raisa.

"C—Commander Priya?!"

He exclaimed as he prepared to stand completely erect. All in all, it would appear that Priya had travelled out to visit them once again. Of course, this was due to just how little she knew of not only her second, but also one whom knew her second better than she currently knew of him. As she closed the door behind her, she smiled warmly and stifled her laughter the best she could despite the fact that she was slightly embarrassed.

"Ky relax…we aren't on duty."

With her words, he still stood erect yet to at least show that he had been calm; he placed an arm back on the counter.

"Is Raisa about the establishment?"

She inquired as she approached him while simultaneously looking around.

"Uh…no Commander Priya, she left out a while ago."

"Oh…"

Her voice gave away her disappointment. Though it seemed if she could not find one, she would find the other as the last time she had entered their place of business as well as their home, Raisa had been present while Ky had been absent.

"…well do you have any prior engagements this evening?"

Coming to a halt, Priya now stood a few feet in front of him.

"None whatsoever Commander Priya, is there something you wish for me to do?"

She was flattered that her second in command was respectful; however, he had been ignoring the fact that she disliked being addressed by her rank. Either he was ignoring it or he possibly forgot.

"I came to extend an invitation to Raisa as well as you Ky. Of course, as Raisa is not present, I can only extend this to you at the moment."

"An invitation? Where am I to report Commander Priya?"

Ky was not sure why but, Priya lightly sighed.

"Do you by any chance know of the Svipul?"

"The Svipul?"

He repeated.

"Yeah, I know that nearly every night it's packed with soldiers and their women and more liquor than I'd ever care to drink in my life…"

"Well, it is occupied by numerous soldiers of multiple paradigms but, I've also extended the invitation out to the paradigms _Relic_ and _Exodus_."

She had cut him off purposely so that he could possibly see that he need not address her as such when she wore not even her armor.

"You mean…Commander Bella and Commander Surina's units, Commander Priya?"

"Yes, and Ky?"

"Yes, Commander Priya?"

Priya had innately screamed due to Ky addressing her by her rank yet again.

"You mean Commander Annebella."

She corrected. His eyes slightly widened as he realized that he had been wrong and he was proud that Annebella was nowhere near or she might have hurled a table at him.

"I'm sorry for…well…"

"You needn't apologize, it was a slight mistake."

Believing it best to get directly to her point, Priya changed the subject. "Would you care to come to The Svipul for a celebration?"

"A Celebration…?"

Ky was not entirely sure if he had heard her words correctly or not, but her words to follow would confirm what his ears might have misconceived.

"Yes. A small celebration of our combined efforts; it sounds wonderful wouldn't you agree?"

Her smile was warm towards him. Even though it was of sound planning, Ky still wasn't sure if he truly wanted to accept to such an invitation.

"Uh…"

He stammered.

"I'm not too sure on that com-"

Her immediate glare as he spoke forced him to cease his words.

"…But…I'll be more than happy to oblige and attend."

A nervous smile stretched across his face and at the very same time he took a small retreating step away from his commanding officer. His lower back was now pressed against the counter behind him due to this action.

"…hasn't she told you already…"

Her voice alerted not only Ky but also Priya to her presence. Ky looking over his right shoulder and Priya looking pass him, they both observed Raisa, who apparently had just entered the Shoppe from the entrance at the rear.

"She would prefer to be addressed by her name, not her rank…"

Slowly making her way behind the counter, she grabbed and grabbed a small stool with her free hand until she was at the right corner of the counter. Setting a leather sack down onto the counter, Ky and Priya both could tell by the sound that had come from the sack that it was filled with scrap iron. What they did not know was that Raisa had called Ky a _moron_ under her breath.

"Well, I'm proud someone remembers the words which I spoke."

Raisa was unaffected by her compliment and instead placed her revolvers upon the counter. Pulling the stool just behind her, she sat herself down in the wooden seat. She proceeded to open the leather bag and then take out parts which Ky easily identified.

"Dogs…?"

Without looking up, she answered him with a nod while Priya found this the perfect opportunity to observe how the members of her unit behaved with one another. Not only that, she could also learn something for herself.

"What are you planning to do with the scrap?"

Slightly annoyed, Raisa answered Priya.

"I believe that there is another method which far suits the construction of the revolver, therefore, I am going to experiment and find the best possible way to make them lighter, less susceptible to corruption from water, being the powder, also, more accurate if possible."

Looking back down to her scrap she cleared her throat and continued.

"I would lengthen the entire explanation of this idea of mine but I highly doubt you would be interested."

"_Fascinating…"_

Assessing what she had just heard, Priya had concluded that Raisa, the most "friendly" of the three had in mind what could be the future of ranged weapons. Just as the rifle had revolutionized war, Raisa could possibly surpass that.

"_Due to its size,__ is far lighter than the rifle and also is easier to conceal."_

Looking down to Ky's right thigh, she saw the pistol he carried; at least she thought it was a pistol. It was unlike any pistol that she had seen and it also looked to weigh a deal more than the kind of ranged weapon she had normally seen others boasting and even the battle that had just taken place a few nights prior to this day.

"_I wonder….how long has it taken for you to master that craft?"_

"The pistol f—"

"Revolver…"

Priya stood corrected.

"The revolver, is capable of firing only one round? Or have you performed other kinds of work upon it?"

Turning his head from Raisa's work to Priya, Ky chose to answer so that Raisa could at least work without continually stopping to explain something.

"The pistol is only a single-firing weapon, a revolver, like Raisa's, can fire up to five times before she needs to reload."

"Six…"

Ky fell silent as he quickly looked at Raisa.

"S—six…?"

She did not cease her sketching as she looked at him via her peripheral.

"Interesting, therefore you've the upper hand in combat?"

"Yes, lest there is misfire, then the firearm is useless."

"Misfire?"

"All you need to know is they are not what anyone would want during dire circumstances. I doubt even he knows what a misfire is."

This told Priya that Raisa disliked being interrupted while she worked. Even more to show this had been how she looked to both Ky as well as Priya as they constantly interjected. Moreover, she began somewhat hostile is she is pestered for too long it appears.

As she stayed within her mind going on about the possibilities of her allies, Ky and Raisa continued their own conversation.

"I'm not stupid Raisa…"

Ky deadpanned with a flat expression across his face.

"…what does it matter to me if you are? If I were to care you still would be the insignificant peon begging for the scrap of bread that was fed to the dogs and now lies as putrid remains partially buried in the dirt."

It took him a few seconds to comprehend what exactly she had meant and when he was certain he understood her, he spoke once more.

"Are the insults really necessary?"

"Insults…?"

She repeated.

"I am doing nothing more than stating what I see. I have yet to insult you and if I do, I will let you know."

Hearing him sigh, Raisa continued to inventory the scrap she had while simultaneously noticing Priya's silence.

"Is there something you wish to discuss Priya?"

Coming out of her thoughts she slowly shook her head.

"There isn't anything else to discuss but, are you sure you will not be in attendance tonight?"

Holding a dog in her hand, Raisa did not look in her direction as she answered.

"The tavern…it would be nice to be surrounded by fools who drink themselves to bliss in order to place their hands upon women who know not better of their intentions…it sounds inviting alas, I have much to get done and since Ky is going, it will take that much longer to complete."

"Well, the best of luck I do wish to you Raisa. Ky, we shall meet later this night then. I do hope you bring your works to a fare-the-well Raisa."

"As do I, as do I…"

Her voice showed that she was paying very little attention to anything aside from working.

"Well, I'll see you soon Co-…Priya."

"Later you shall. Farewell."

After the door shut behind her, Ky silently cursed his luck while Raisa continued inspecting each piece of scrap she had gotten. Turning around to the long counter that had been behind him, he leaned over it while placing a finger just above the parchment and began looking over the drawing that Raisa had made of the individual parts she needed in order to craft. She was a talented artist to say the least. In addition to that, the names of the parts which were drawn were written Japanese, he was able to read what those labels were yet, the other half of the labels were written in what appeared to be Russian. He was fluent in only one of those languages which again, proved that Raisa had something else over him.

"_This looks complex…"_

With this initial thought and further looking over of the drawing he could tell that what Raisa had in mind would be considerable in weight but even if it was, this "revolver" would be capable of firing multiple times in succession.

"_Is she really planning on making something like this? It seems like it can be done but…"_

"As I said,"

Ky nearly jumped as her voice broke the silence that had washed over the room after Priya had took her leave.

"You aren't able to understand it so don't bother with it."

She sounded lifeless as she spoke. Her voice almost made it where he did not want to answer but, of course, if he never spoke she would only assume everything she said was right. Therefore, he chose to speak up.

"It's not completely foreign to me, I can understand most of it but-"

"Most does not equal all…even if you have the talent for understanding what you can; you have in fact stated that you understand not all of it despite your efforts…"

"But-"

"Simply because you are actually putting in effort and talent to back up your effort it will more than likely be for naught."

"W-"

"Effort and talent…they are meaningless Ky. Only when you learn something to its entirety can your effort and talent have effect. As for now, you are nothing more than the common useless peasant…window-shopping for a dress."

Without anything left to say and knowing she will more than likely cut him off, Ky pushed himself away from the counter and left Raisa to her work. After he had left, it had been a few minutes before she had inspected each piece of scrap and then when she had inspected each piece, she began to put them back into the sack.

A light sigh was all she gave as she set the last chunk of iron back into the leather sack. Getting to her feet, Raisa walked over towards the front door and closed it, since in his immediate rush, Ky had left it partially opened. After she closed it, she returned to the counter, more precisely, where Ky had been standing earlier. Raisa looked her artwork over for a few seconds and then reached over and grabbed a scrap of iron. Without looking, she then set it down and reached for a new piece. After feeling its shape for a few seconds, she set the second piece down and continued this pattern.

Nearly a half hour had gone by before the sack was emptied. Looking at her drawing and the scrap, she saw that she was missing only one piece of iron. Other than that, Raisa had each and every piece of scrap that she needed.

"Tch, it is only one piece…"

With that said she knew that she would have to fetch the missing iron as well as obtaining more for the design of her craft. What Raisa had in mind, was a _wheel lock revolver_ that had no wooden finishes and which was also strong enough to guard against a blade. Not only that, but she had to be sure to differentiate it from the common _wheel lock_ as well as the _flintlock_ and definitely surpassing the dreaded _matchlock_. In her mind, the _matchlock_ concept was nothing more than utter trash.

Either way, she would need the scrap she was missing and possibly, a second opinion. Mainly she would need to see Ky's pistol so that she could at least settle the pros and cons about his and her respective firearms. After all, if he was to fight alongside her, she would need him to stay alive to watch her back every now and then. Remaining in silent thought, she was taken from her thoughts as the front door was opened. Her green eyes shifted to the door as her right hand silently hovered over the shoppe pistol; she relaxed as she saw the familiar face enter the unnamed Shoppe.

"Hello,"

She greeted.

"Do you know where Commander Priya may be?"

Relaxing her hand and moving it away from the pistol, Raisa rested her right arm on the counter.

"You missed Priya by…"

Raisa hesitated in speech as she processed just how long it had been since her commander did in fact depart.

"A rough forty-five minutes."

"Oh…"

Her voice gave away her disappointment.

"Well, do you know where Ky may be?"

Raisa's eyes widened only slightly.

"What business do you have with him?"

"I noticed that he oft visited our church and I wished to extend an invite to him."

Watching her brush a lock of her black hair behind her ear, Raisa looked at her the scraps of iron once more and then her sketch of what she had in mind.

"More than likely Ky has gone down to that get-together which Priya is orchestrating at the Svipul."

"Ah, I thank you…"

The way her voice had trailed, Raisa could tell that she wanted to know the name of the one whom had given her a lead on Ky's whereabouts.

"Raisa."

"Thank you, for your assistance Raisa."

"Not a problem, but you might as well wait…"

"Wait? Whatever for?"

She inquired as she watched Raisa push herself off the counter.

"…I am going down to that tavern as well and it would be better to walk in a pair instead of alone. Who knows what may happen to you..."

Noémi giggled at Raisa's words.

"Even upon the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord doth protect me as he does you."

Raisa immediately halted as this was said to her.

_"This walk will be short..."_

Sliding the Shoppe pistols into their respective holsters, she slowly made her way around the counter.

_"Either she will make it there swiftly and safely, or I will give her Lord another orifice to fill..."_

* * *

><p>"Well honestly, you can't attack like that! You'll get yourself killed!"<p>

Looking across the room and over to the towering buffoon, Surina saw Archer explaining combat techniques to one of General Girardot's protégés. His name was Aeneas. Surina had not had much interaction with him; however she saw not much reason to do so. Even though her unit was fixed, somehow, he found his way into her unit. She assumed Girardot had something to do with this and if he did, there was nothing she could do about it.

"_Idiots…"_

Watching Archer balance the heavy lance in the palm of his hand which Aeneas would soon use in the field, she took this time to make a mental note of his features. Aeneas was slightly shorter than her. His physique was far short of impressive. He had a head full of blonde hair which had been short and as she could tell from this distance, his eyes were blue. Seeing that he was cheering on Archer, she found him to be of low taste, yet, since this was her sister's idea to have _Gungnir_, _Exodus_, and _Relic_ come together and "get along" with one another, she would not make much the scene of the matter.

"Alright, where's the rum!?"

Although her agitation was growing she said nothing. This was Raiko whom had produced such a tasteless inquiry. Surina knew she should have reported Raiko for being drunk while on duty, however; Priya had talked her out of going through with it. In addition to that, Surina could have also made matters worse for Raiko as well since she did lie to her face about being intoxicated.

"Oh please, I can drink much more than this! Fill 'er up!"

Gnashing her teeth, Surina shut her eyes and lowered her head trying to ignore the stupidity around her.

"Having trouble staying awake?"

Lifting her head and looking to the familiar voice Surina scoffed at the question which the Commanding Officer of the unit _Relic_ had jokingly inquired.

"Hardly…"

She replied in a dry tone.

"More as to speculating which is more the more arduous of things; taming the ignorance of this charade or bring about such a trouncing to them all that they would regret the very thought of merry…"

Annebella let out a small chuckle before taking her seat at the table that Surina currently occupied.

"You need to learn to relax every once in a while Surina. Being tense for too long can do disasters to one's facial features."

Surina eyed her fellow Commander.

"Oh, you aren't worried of your beauty?"

Annebella asked as she rested her chin in-between her curled index and her thumb.

"Why bother with such a tasteless attribute? Beauty will do nothing to endure an attack from an enemy nor shall it save a life."

Looking at her posture, Annebella saw that Surina sat with her legs stretched out and crossed while her arms were also crossed. She could tell that gatherings such as this easily got on her nerves and it would not be too farfetched to assume she saw this as something which was completely unimportant.

"If it's so tasteless, why did you venture to Dalkia?"

Surina's eyes flared in enthrallment yet before she could say anything, Annebella spoke once more.

"It was my duty to know the backgrounds of every officer who would be commanding—and I carried out my duty faithfully."

Narrowing her eyes, she found Surina to be speechless. Perhaps she wanted no one to know of such a fact? Either way, it was a decent question to ask one who was so fixed on negativity. A small smile was given to Surina while her mind ceased to even produce a proper insult.

"I do hope you left some for us now!"

The voice brought Surina out of her mind and forced her to turn her head in the direction of the familiar voice. After Surina observed who the speaker was, she remembered that he was of Priya's unit.

"Meiga, his name is."

Looking at Annebella via her peripheral, she said nothing as her eyes focused back on Meiga.

"Oh, and isn't that Priya's second in command?"

Surina gnashed her teeth once more as she saw Ky walk in right behind Meiga. No matter how little she knew of him, she despised him. From his long brown hair to the scars above his left eye and even down to the boots he wore. To her, he was walking trash.

"By your face, I can tell you aren't much the fan of him…any particular reason?"

"None that you should know of…"

Annebella smiled at the arid hostility she had been greeted by yet, as her smile faded her second in command, Arrai, along with Pfieffer, joined the table which the two commanders occupied.

"We are not intruding are we?"

Turning her head to her second in command, Annebella shook her head and then gave a following gesture of beckoning them to join them and sit, which they both did. Assessing the body language of Commander Surina, Arrai knew it possibly was not the best time to ask anything of her. So instead, she spoke to her commander.

"Commander Annebella, do you think this celebration is a bit untimely?"

Annebella knew what Arrai had meant despite Surina's glare. Of course, Arrai was not one to be frightened by looks or words.

"On the contrary, it is not Arrai,"

Surina lightly scoffed which only gained the attention of Pfieffer while Annebella and Arrai paid her little to no mind.

"This celebration is to more than likely see if the ligaments of our squadrons will be as just and approving each other as we are. Therefore, it is not untimely as you and my fellow commander may think. It is if anything, fairly tardy in my opinion."

"Tch, tardy…"

With her beginning to speak both Arrai and Annebella turned their attention over to Pfieffer.

"…I'm not sure most of us will be in attendance."

Pfieffer was young. Nearly twenty-one years old. She was of a common height and was just as Annebella, blonde haired and blue-eyed. Her skin was exposed to the sun much more than Annebella which gave her a light tan.

"You shouldn't worry about them at this is point,"

Arrai began.

"If they choose not to attend then it is for their own choice not to attend."

Arrai held eyes of autumn wood. None knew of how her hair had exactly been this color yet, as Annebella explained to other members of her squadron, that fright could have been the cause for she had seen it happen to a few people and even males at a young age. If someone had been so terrified that it struck down into their very being, their hair may lose its color and the pallor if not ghostly white will take its place. She wanted to ask about it, but at the same time it could rouse some unwanted negativity within her second in command's mind and that is something Annebella did not want to happen.

"E'lara isn't even here,"

She now pointed out.

"I assume she's with the General again…"

Arrai's eyes slowly grew with astonishment.

"How dare y-"

Arrai ceased her words as Annebella raised her hand, which signified for her to be silent. Turning her attention to Pfieffer, Annebella cleared her throat before she spoke.

"E'lara has training which rivals the General's. Additionally, her skills of night raids and strategic warfare are only second to him."

Pfieffer's facial expression slowly shifted from confident to that of aggravation.

"She spends time with him to discuss strategies, triangulate battle techniques with not only General Girardot but also the Emperor himself; so if she is not in attendance then she has a far better reason than any of us to decline such an honest and friendly invitation."

Arrai turned in the opposing direction as she heard a sudden uproar in cheering. Believing it to be the better idea to drop Pfieffer's idea of E'lara being the typical whore to seduce the higher ranking individual, she changed the subject.

"What goes on there?"

Looking from Pfieffer and over to the group, Annebella looked down and did what she could to stifle her laughter. Seeing that the matter was dropped, Pfieffer turned to see what the commotion was about.

Turning the mug entirely upside down, Raiko then tossed the metal mug to Archer who in turn caught the object.

"Twelve down!"

She exclaimed. This brought the group of males around her into an even louder cheer. As they cheered, Aeneas took hold of his glass; a German invention called the Goderulffe, and then drank deep from it. After less than half of his beverage remained, Raiko took his glass from him and then too, drank from it.

* * *

><p>"I think I'm going to be sick…"<p>

After this was said, Surina covered her face with her right hand while Annebella, again, stifled her laughter. Pfieffer did nothing more than turn her head in Surina's direction as she prepared to ask a question.

"Sadly she belongs to my unit…you need not ask…"

Pfieffer now said nothing. With her inquiry answered, she returned to observing the group on the other side of the tavern.

"It is the fault of mine since I thought of her to be Raisa and this is what I am cursed to endure,"

Opening her eyes and looking at Pfieffer she continued,

"A tasteless, disgusting, repulsive, drunkard of a fool…"

"Commander Surina,"

Arrai began.

"Who exactly is this Raisa?"

With her question asked, Surina acknowledged her and answered, however, she did not move her hand from her face.

"Raisa would never act in a manner as _That_. She is also disciplined, professional, direct, and exact."

Surina gnashed her teeth when she thought of the only conversation which she had held with Raisa. Surina's mind then took an alternative thought process and began to wander into the possibilities of Raisa being within her unit instead of Raiko.

"I see."

Arrai returned a sage-like nod as this information sank in. Despite this understanding, Surina still had her personal thoughts of her.

"_Yet that disrespectful defiance of hers will get her killed."_

"In either case, she is a diligent youth who knows how to survive, defend, and kill her enemies; with the addition of her also knowing of Dalkia's terrain and a small portion of other areas as well."

With Annebella's words to be in Raiko's defense, Surina again, scoffed.

"Oh, you think of her to not be any of which I listed? Let alone the obvious assets she brings?"

Surina said nothing. Instead, she turned away from them and went back to her previous silence.

* * *

><p>"Don't you think it too much for you to drink?"<p>

Raiko, who had been sitting next to him smiled and then rose from her seat and then sat in his lap. Aeneas himself, was not only slightly shocked but at the same time, more accepting of it than anything.

"Archer, get me a…"

As her voice trailed she turned to Aeneas.

"How you say?"

Her eyes were green and her hair was redder than blood. She was bi-racial as he could tell and her more dominant of those races was Japanese. Of course her light Russian accent was seductive to his ears. All in all, a beautiful female she was and a pleasure to enjoy fine rum with.

"Goderulffe…"

With his answer, he also had a slight concern and a question.

"By your weight and height, I don't think it wise to-"

"How do you say your name again?"

Raiko interjected as she took the tall glass from Archer.

"…for the fourth time, tis Aeneas…"

"Ah, the fourth, well, if rum were a body water and if I were…"

Raiko placed the tip of her index finger to her chin as she thought of what to say. As she confirmed what she was going to say, a small smile formed as she looked at Aeneas.

"A swan…I'd swim to the bottom and never come up but rum is not water and I'm no swan, so I will drink my fill while you…"

Raiko placed a hand to Aeneas' cheek and gently caressed it as she leaned closer to his face.

"…need to shut the fuck up."

Leaning away from his face, Raiko looked at Archer and then took her Goderulffe to her lips.

Despite what she had just told Aeneas, her eyes taunted Aeneas with lust; however, she had the very same look within her eyes as she watched Archer while she drank deep from her glass. Archer was not going to intrude on Aeneas' slow steps to a night of sexual pleasure yet, seeing how Raiko acts when in his presence alone, Archer knew better. The good thing, at least within his own mind was that Archer himself was not at all interested in Raiko to begin with and for him to be attracted to her, he would need to be near death from the consumption of alcohol itself.

"…And here I thought she was a lightweight…ha, guess I was wrong."

While she licked the rim of the Goderulffe, Archer eyed Aeneas who in turn returned the very same look. Seeing this, the giant of a man laughed and then turned his attention to his own Goderulffe. Archer was no fool. He of course knew that Aeneas was enjoying what had been unfolding and even more so was that he had also baited Raiko along to see if she would be worth the night. Sadly, or possibly more interestingly, Raiko had been doing the very same thing to Aeneas. Archer saw this and wanted nothing to do with it.

Lightly shaking his head, Archer reached for his own glass yet, as he did, he noticed Meiga. As far as he had known, Meiga was a member of _Gungnir_. The man had a scar about his left cheek and his black hair had been tied in a low ponytail. He had a decent build to him and he was overly polite. As Archer could tell, he was discussing some matter with his Commanding Officer, Priya.

* * *

><p>"It isn't anything to worry about, I'm sure that she will be fine all on her own."<p>

"Yes, but…"

Her voice trailed as she searched for the words to express her thoughts.

"Do you not think it odd if not strange to always want to be by one's self?"

"Not at all, there are times when all of us must be without the company of others…and Raisa simply has more of them than any of us here."

Despite her efforts to listen to what her subordinate was saying, her attention was diverted due to his hands. They twirled about as if he were orchestrating a musical. Priya could not help but notice that his hands continuously moved as he spoke.

"Also, there is more likely someone else out there who it effects to an even greater degree than her so I would worry nothing about it."

Smiling to his words, Priya thanked him for his thoughts on the matter.

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine Commander Priya."

With that, he bowed; a flattering and common gesture, however; no matter how common, Priya herself, lightly blushed.

"Ah, so there you two are!"

With his booming voice, he startled Priya while making Meiga quickly rise from the position he had been in.

"Don't you think you both should join in on the festivities?"

Holding her hand to her chest, Priya took in a deep breath while Meiga answered Archer's question.

"No need to worry friend, we will all enjoy them in due time."

"Friend…? The hell are you talking about friend?"

Priya and Meiga looked at the giant of a man in slight confusion. Priya was unsure of his motives while Meiga stared on in disbelief. As he turned to look at Priya, Archer threw an arm around Meiga, and drew him in close, nearly crushing him against his form, Archer followed up on his words.

"You're my ally,"

He began as he raised his Goderulffe in the air.

"…A fellow man of the Grandall Army as WE ALL ARE!"

As his words filled the tavern, numerous females and males lifted their glasses, mugs, and even their fists into the air and began to cheer despite him only saying 'man' only.

"…And the finest army that is and EVER WILL BE!"

The uproar of the soldiers had been mixed with cheering as well as pounding on the tables which most of them sat at or stood near. Even though everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, Priya noticed that someone had just left and it looked to be her second in command. Looking at Archer and the small form of Meiga, she smiled once more and lightly shook her head before turning towards the door. Yet as she did, she accidentally ran into someone.

As she stumbled backwards, she held her right cheek due to something metallic had collided with her face.

"Ah, terribly sorry…"

The man placed a hand on her shoulder and as she looked to the man, she tilted her head upward to see his face.

"Tis fine, tis fine."

Priya saw the man before her and was slightly taken aback by the fact that she mistook him for Archer due to his size. This man held hair which was light brown and eyes which were blue. Around his neck had been a silver chain and the pendant which was attached to it had been in the shape of a wolf. This is what had struck her cheek with enough force to redden it.

"Twas the fault of mine, I should have been more cautious…"

"It's an honest mistake. No reason to cause blame or even to share it let alone shoulder it for no reason."

"Humble words…"

Taking her hand from her cheek, she looked at the pendant and found it rather attractive. However, this night was solely for soldiers of the Parousian military which would mean this man was a soldier. She wondered if the pendant was the _callsign_ of his unit. Sadly before she could ask, the man was called by another giant of a man.

"Oi, Trevor!"

Looking to this man his hair was black and so were his eyes. There was a scar upon his forehead and he stood at a greater height than Priya, yet, he was shorter than both Archer and Trevor. He was a short distance away and the table in front of him had been littered with glasses and mugs.

"…of all people…"

Literally looking up to him, Priya giggled which made the man known as Trevor look down to her miniature height.

"What is so funny?"

After she calmed herself, she retained her smile as she spoke.

"No matter who you meet, they are to be met for a purpose, aside from that, for him to greet you as such, you both must be in the same unit."

Trevor said nothing as he thought of her words. He blinked as he looked in another direction as the man called for him again and after a few more seconds of silence, he returned his gaze to Priya.

"Wise words, though I'd prefer to know none of him; his attitude and all else is ridiculous."

"Trevor!"

Trevor gnashed his teeth the third time he had been called.

"It be best to see what he wants, it may be important."

Priya placed a hand upon her hip while waving the other in the direction of the other man.

"It's not important…"

Trevor looked over to his subordinate, Garret, and frowned. Garret sat a booth with another man whom was shorter than Priya. Finally giving in to the idiocy, Trevor decided that to go and see what Garret wanted.

"…but do take care…?"

"Priya Delgado."

His facial expression gave away his enthrallment yet, he retained his composure; it was with a small smile he nodded as he continued on towards the two men.

"_Now I can see to Ky."_

Priya knew she had not mistaken the identity of her second, yet there was a small room for error in her quick analysis, though it mattered none.

* * *

><p>His back to the outer wall of the tavern, he reached inside his vest and pulled out a pipe. Placing it in his mouth he thought of lighting it but after a few seconds of standing idle, he pulled it from his mouth.<p>

"I really don't need to smoke…"

After talking to himself, he looked over to the door of the tavern as its squeaking told his ears that it had been opened.

"_Company…?"_

He thought as he watched to see who would emerge from the heavy scent of liquor. Seeing it was his commanding officer, a few knots began to tighten in his stomach. As she closed the door behind her, a small smile was what met him before she spoke.

"Ah, so twas you who decided to step out…"

Her voice trailed as her eyes fell to the pipe that was in his hand.

"I knew not of you to smoke."

Looking at the pipe in his right hand, he was about to inform her that he had changed his mind, but of course, she had begun to speak once more.

"Tis be wise not to begin a habit especially when it doth end so many lives."

"_Since when does smoking end lives…?"_

As this thought passed through his mind, he shook it off and decided to answer as if he knew what she had said to be true.

"I know, I know. But I just do it at times if I feel a bit stressed y'know?"

"Stressed?"

She repeated.

"The battle of this pass Sunday was too great?"

"Oh, not…well, I don't know…"

Stuffing the pipe back into his inner vest pocket he turned in her direction and continued to speak.

"It's just well, a couple of things mixed with that…"

Hearing his voice trail off and his eyes slightly lower, she assumed it to be something he directly truly did not want to discuss.

"Ky…know that if there be a matter you wish to bring to my attention that it be of no harm to do such."

After a second of silence passed she added on to her statement.

"It be unfitting if I know of it?"

"Heh, it's fine, really."

Despite the smile he gave, Priya could tell that there was much that he did not want to talk about.

"Raisa it deals with?"

With that said, he quickly denied anything to be involving her.

"Worry not,"

She reassured with a warm smile.

"…I accuse nor interrogate. It be none other than a question."

Seeing his shoulders slightly lower, he unknowingly told her that he was slowly relaxing himself.

"I-I know I'm just…"

"Just?"

She repeated after a few seconds of silence.

"Just a bit nervous I guess."

"Whatever would you be nervous about?"

"You,"

With that one word Priya blinked.

"You're my Commanding Officer so I mean, naturally I'd be nervous."

As his clarification entered her ears she understood his thoughts. At least, what he was willing to share.

"There be no need of fear to deter Ky,"

She had crossed her arms as this was said.

"As you are, I find not an instance where you need be on nerve's edge or to be placed a mark upon high. Act as you were and all shall be well."

Looking away from her, he silently nodded.

"Ky, do it be more than that was shared?"

She now inquired.

"…"

It had been nearly an entire minute before he said anything and not only that, he was not even looking in her direction whatsoever. As she closed the gap between them, he had not noticed she had even moved until he felt and odd warmth around his body.

"Co-Commander…?!"

Priya had embraced him. A light blush began to burn into the surface of his face as the mental noting of what he was feeling began to sink in.

"_She's… so__—__soft…and he__r__…__t__—__they'__re…"_

His thoughts were cut short as he spotted two figures emerging from the distance across the walk. To his surprise, it was not only Noémi but…

"Well…that will make him to soil himself…"

Slowly releasing her second in command, she turned to the voice and then greeted her.

"A pleasure it be to see you decide to grace us with your presence Raisa. Though mistake this not for the tryst."

Even though she had partially clarified her actions and intentions as by and by, Raisa's facial expression showed that she believed not a word. Though in all honesty, she cared nothing for the situation.

"An embrace you desire as well Raisa?"

"No…"

Seeing that this was a conversation that had appeared to be heading for displeasing outcomes, Noémi cleared her throat.

"Ah, how rude of me, how are you this evening and who is it that you might be?"

"My name is Noémi."

Priya blinked in confusion as she had heard that name before. As she thought of that name it quickly came to her. Noémi was the newest member of _Relic._

"_Relic's_ own Medic, correct?"

Noémi smiled as she was identified not only by her squadron but also by her profession within her squadron as well.

"Yes, and you are right. A pleasure it is to meet you Commander Priya."

With that said, Noémi bowed her head. She was young. Her eyes were light brown and her hair was as black as night. Her complexion was rather pale while she was also slightly shorter than Priya. As Priya noticed, she had possibly only been taller than Noémi by an inch.

"I've been subject of conversation I take it?"

As she inquired this, Priya noticed that Noémi was firmly holding an object to her chest; upon studying this for a brief second, Priya saw it to be a bible.

"Oh, not much but yes; Raisa had informed me that she belongs to the squadron _Gungnir_, and she had also explained that the squadron name was brought about by the very same spear which Odin used in battle. I must say it is very much interesting to see that you have chosen mythology to bring about the name of your squadron Commander Priya while Commander Surina has chosen from that of the _good book_ itself."

Raisa eyed Noémi after that mixture of praise and ridicule struck Priya head on. Seeing Raisa's face draw up due to irritation, Priya ignored the insult and kept a calm being as she continued to speak to Noémi.

"A thousand thanks, though it be for my love of knowledge that we bear our name as such; and as such tis also be the armament I do wield in battle."

"Armament…?"

With a rather flat expression, Raisa eyed Noémi again. Priya looked at Raisa not even for a second and had already deduced that she had been annoyed, not out of anger, but sheer ignorance of one who boasts about others not following what they should and reveals not their own lacking.

"May I?"

Without looking at Raisa, Priya nodded. She turned not in Noémi's direction as she began to explain.

"Her weapon or armament is a pole-arm that has been modified to function as a staff while retaining the average length of the standard lance. Her weapon utilizes its length and curved blades upon each end for effective ranged combat, parrying, and even impaling her foes if need be."

Priya's face showed not a shred of joy as she recalled the death of the female Brigand a few nights ago. As she held her right elbow, she stared blankly at Raisa's pistol, which had been at her right thigh.

"If you want to be proper in name for what her weapon can be compared to, it would be the _Bisento;_ a Japanese weapon which is fitted with an axe head at each end of a staff. While here of course, it is not common, therefore, due to its custom features and obviously the user, her weapon is known as the _Bladed Lance_. If her weapon were bearing only one blade, it would then be Chinese in nature. It would then be known as the _Reclining Moon Blade_. Additionally, her weapon can be compared to the European Glaive or even the Fauchard."

Using her free hand, Raisa wiped away a drop of sweat from her brow and continued to explain.

"The blades in question to her weapon are fairly heavy and while using this Bisento-esque weapon, I say it is as such due to the blades, they take time to properly adjust to and her height and makes that difficult due to how she must distribute the weight of the weapon. Her weapon specifically, bears sharp curved edges within each blade and an additional spike notch upon each blade to catch enemy weaponry which proves well seeing as some opponents must get close in order to strike which if they are unsuccessful, she can even parry them with the said spike notches. Assuming they are not as close to her as you and I are to each other."

Noémi looked to Raisa and understood what she meant. The two of them were roughly two to three feet apart from one another which would mean Priya would need to keep her attacker at bay.

"Cutting things short, Priya is a ranged combatant and mainly keeps a distance when in combat since it is fairly difficult for her to keep an opponent at bay if they are too close for her comfort."

Priya had not much to say on that note as she knew she was not best at close quarters combat; and for Raisa to point that out made her slightly uneasy; especially since Raisa had only been assigned to her unit for an incredibly short amount of time and knew not only the history of her weapon and what it was loosely based off of but also a frightening degree of how she acted in combat. It made her wonder what else Raisa had noticed and if there were numerous openings which Raisa had seen.

"You sure know a great deal about how your Commander acts in battle Raisa. When did you have the time to learn so much in such a short amount of time?"

Before Raisa could answer Priya directed the attention back upon herself and spoke.

"It be best if we enter, no?"

Her mouth open, Noémi quickly smiled and then agreed.

"Ah, yes it would be."

As she merrily held the bible to her chest with both hands, Raina crossed her arms and looked away from Noémi.

"I'd rather not."

Noémi, who had just agreed to Priya's invitation, turned to Raisa while Priya was not at all surprised by her decline.

"I sought out Ky."

Priya then recalled what Raisa had told her about their inspection and instantly understood why. In addition to that, this also explained why Raisa did not want to relax and celebrate. She had completely forgotten about what all Raisa had to do. This also brought thoughts of doubt when Piteras compared how she knew her subordinates and now as Priya stood before Raisa, she realized that she had forgotten something which Raisa herself had told her, and Priya herself, forgot. Despite it being of importance and coming from her subordinate, Priya thought not of it until now.

"There is a deal of work that needs to be done and I find it best to have Ky working alongside me instead of some sweat ridden fatuous "_man_" who is more focused on _meat_ and wanting nothing more than to have his slavering jaws at my breasts."

Neither of them had anything to say to that and Raisa knew that due to their silence. Instead of waiting for either of them to come up with some way to get pass the silence between them, she silently scoffed and made her way over to Ky.

"Is…she always like that Commander Priya?"

Noémi inquired after Raisa made a decent amount of distance between them.

"Tis a question I know not the answer…"

* * *

><p>"Ky…"<p>

He turned his head in the direction of her voice and as his eyes rose from the ground and up to her, he saw that she had the Shoppe pistols at her thighs. They were the most basic and common thing that most individuals would see in firearms, yet, this told Ky that she had stopped working on her personal firearms and now, she stood before him.

"I thought you would be inside."

He had his arms crossed as he leaned against the tavern. She noticed that he normally never did hold such a posture unless he had been bothered by something. It dawned on her that Riese had more than likely been absolutely correct about how he possibly viewed what she thought of him. Even his voice contributed to Riese's advice.

"It's a bit loud and I didn't want to be around all the noise."

Looking back down to the ground, he continued to speak.

"Why'd you come here? Felt like degrading me even more?"

He sounds as if he were depressed when he asked her this. Silently gnashing her teeth, Raisa quickly thought of an alternative of how to approach the situation.

"You _are_ in the army Ky…"

"…I know that."

Raisa narrowed her eyes.

"You're going to need to get that spine of yours from under all the jewels and dresses if you want anyone to take you seriously."

His face held irritation and Raisa could see it as clear as the sun on a cloudless day, no matter how hard he had attempted to hide it.

"Point is, if you are in the army, you are going to learn to deal with what people not only say and do."

"Tch, so I'm to just accept that you think I'm useless?"

"Either that, or prove that you are useful."

"PROV—"

Ky quickly silenced himself when his own voice echoed. Priya and Noémi both looked in his direction while a few civilians looked out their windows, across the road, even a flock of birds took flight from his outburst. Crossing his arms, he looked back at the ground, away from Raisa.

"Do…enjoy yourselves."

Raisa turned her head in Priya's direction and nodded in response to her words. It was obvious from her hesitant pattern in speech that she was unsure of what to do about the situation. Truth be told, Raisa knew that she wanted to fix it for out of the units which are present, _Gungnir_ lacked the focus of allegiance as well as co-operation. This situation itself, between Ky and herself was evident of that and if Raisa knew it, Priya had to have realized this as well. This was a realization which Raisa had configured a few moments ago when she spoke with Noémi.

It was from her peripheral that she watched Noémi open the tavern door for Priya to walk in first and with Noémi entering after her and shutting the door. After they had entered the tavern, Ky spoke.

"Of all things, prove myself…?"

His gaze lay with the ground as he spoke.

"I've done that, I've kept a calm head and did what I thought was right."

Slowly turning his head, it was a second of silence before they locked eyes.

"What are you really after? A laugh? Why do you suddenly need me to be around you? Last time you said I was just—"

"A peasant...and I compared you to a fairly cheap prostitute with the jewels and dresses."

The look upon her face showed neither hostility nor joy. This made Ky ease off his own aggressiveness for the time being.

"I know what I said and I do know what I now say, and I am saying that I will always ridicule you. No matter what you do, how you do it. Why? You need to learn and think of that reason."

"Bu—"

"It is not difficult. Success is never earned with each small victory. The true success lie only in accomplishment. Anything else is subject to ridicule and embarrassment."

Ky said nothing. As much as he gathered, she claimed that she was helping him by insulting him. No form of constructive criticism whatsoever; just raw, blunt, critique.

"If that's the case, why didn't you say that before?"

"Is that something someone should say?"

"_She's a point…"_

Raisa placed her hands together. The tips of her fingers were pressed against her nose as she silently thought of what to say, or how to explain what she wanted to say. In her mind, she reflected upon what Riese had told her, specifically about how she treated others as well as the one who suffers just as she must if he wants to survive long enough to even enjoy his life.

"…how do you go about the forge?"

"Huh?"

"How do you forge?"

Ky did not want to immediately answer her. Reason be was that the way he crafted, shaped, and all else was of his own family's secret, their very way to support themselves and each other. To simply tell Raisa this was rather sudden as well as something he would not easily do.

"I ask only to learn. If we mix by trial and error, we will learn to mix your style of craft with what you learn from my style and versa vice."

Ky eyed Raisa.

"Perfecting what flaws lie in both by working together…?"

"Precisely. It could enhance your skill as well as mine; in essence, bettering our skill of craft in all aspects."

Ky was silent and for that moment. In that moment, all that could be heard was Raiko from within the tavern demanding someone to give her more rum.

"_Should I actually share that with her…?"_

As he asked himself this he asked himself another question.

"_Just how much stress is she under? She says there's much to be done, but all I've seen is her working on her own revolvers. So…"_

Ky slowly realized what Raisa had been doing all this time.

"…what have you been doing with your pistols?"

"Revolvers…"

She did her best to hide her agitation yet, he knew that she had corrected him on this more than twelve times.

"Revolvers…"

After he repeated the word, Raisa spoke.

"Experimenting on how it will be when they are mass produced. If they are given to the Qu—Emperor…"

Ky did what he could to hide his smirk but it was impossible to do such. Not only that, she went out of her way to make a light joke just to lighten the mood.

"…point is, experimentation with my own firearms will ensure that I do my best and after they reach that potential, I will be the better of models for myself."

Ky's eyes flared in alarm.

"What? I was not told what product to give them. They simply want something which is better than what they currently have."

Ky shook his head and remained silent for a few seconds. Raisa had a very good point. Not only that, but she was toying with the system of how life as well as their 'job' went. I took a moment for him to speak yet when he did, it was all Raisa needed to hear.

"I guess it's a plan then…"

Nodding to his agreement, Raisa uncrossed her arms.

"Good…then we should make way back so that we can start."

Turning away from him, she began to walk until Ky spoke again.

"Wait…d—did you come all this way just to tell me this?"

She stopped and slowly turned to face Ky.

"I did. Is there something else I should have done? Embrace you in the same manner as Priya perhaps?"

Her right hand was partially inside of the pocket of her jodhpurs as she inquired this of him. Her thumb had been the only digit which remained outside of her pocket as well.

"No..."

He quickly answered. Ky then looked down towards the ground once more only to redirect his gaze towards Raisa's feet. Despite the slight chill of the coming night, Raisa wore sandals made from straw. Seeing this brought a sense of nostalgia as he recalled his brother's bride making several of them not for profit but just so that everyone at least had a pair. Shaking off his idleness, he slowly gave her his thought of why she had even bothered to make an appearance.

"Um…I thought you would have come here for the liquor."

Again he looked down.

"Do you not hear her?"

Ky held a quizzical look as she said that. He was hoping to get an additional answer, however; hearing Raiko shouting at the top of her lungs made it an obvious answer.

"I do not want to deal with or listen to such a whore…"

Turning yet again, she began to walk.

"It is tragedy enough that we be related by blood yet, that means not for me to bear the sight of her or suffer from the wail of her penetrations."

Ky watched her take a few steps and for a few seconds he did not move.

"_I guess I do have to grow up and change a bit huh? I mean…Raisa made the effort to come down here to get me and didn't even want anything to drink…__but wait, related?__"_

"Are you coming or not?"

"Huh?"

Emerging from his thoughts, he looked up to see Raisa standing and waiting for him.

"…uh, yeah…"

He had emerged from his thoughts and quickly caught up to Raisa. After he had caught up to her she had begun to walk once again.

"_She isn't all that bad at all."_

He thought as he came up on her right side.

"_She might be a bit harsh at times but she isn't a bad person…"_

Before he could go on any further in thought a male had emerged from his dwelling further ahead of them and took a step down preparing to make a trek someplace. Before he could make any progress away from his own home, he saw Raisa and immediately stopped. Before they could pass him he spoke.

"Raiko, how are you doing my beautiful—"

He was forced silent when Raisa drew a revolver and aimed it at his face. Ky himself had froze in place because he knew not what the man had done in order for Raisa to draw a revolver from its holster. Not only that but he was not paying attention.

"W—what did I do Raiko?"

Ky immediately knew what had happened then and hearing Raisa gnash her teeth made it all the more obvious.

"But Rai—"

Raisa now cocked the revolver and the man began to shake. As he shook, Raisa sniffed and then looked down. Silently scoffing, Raisa holstered the revolver and continued on, but not before she spit at the man's feet.

"If you ever…call me Raiko again…I will kill you."

Watching her walk away, Ky looked down to the man's leggings and saw nothing but a large darkened area extending from where his loins were. Unsure of what to say, Ky did the only thing he could and caught up with Raisa. He looked back to the man only once and when he did, another civilian pointed out what had just happened which drew attention. Laughter began to fill the streets as wives looked from their dwellings to see the spectacle while some threw things at the man. Despite the uproar in public volume, Raisa calmly walked on.

"That goes for you to Ky."

Looking at her with a small amount of worry, she in turn looked to him via her peripheral.

"Never call me Raiko…it just might be the last thing you do."

"…_well…at least she's charming when she wants to be…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** VII**** End**

_End Note__s__:_

Spitting at a person's feet or on their property: Is being used as a sign of disrespect.

Nikita: A co-owner of the Svipul as well as the owner of numerous assumptions, accusations, and suspicions which surround her.

Archer: Is of Surina's squadron, _Exodus._

Aeneas: Was recently assigned to _Exodus._

Annebella Williams: The Commanding Officer of _Relic._

Pfieffer Reux: A hot-headed (and borderline sexist) soldier within _Relic._

Arrai: Second in command within _Relic._

Noémi: A recent addition to _Relic_. She serves as the Medic of _Relic_.

**Vocab**

Svipul: The Tavern in which the celebration is being held at. It attains its name from Norse origin.

Goderulffe: A long, tall glass which was created in Germany which is used mainly for drinking.

Noémi: The French spelling of Naomi. (Just a reminder)

_**Historical Note**_

Just to clear things when it comes to the revolver with a short historical note:

The earliest model of a six chambered revolver was made in Germany during the year of 1590. The Revolving Arquebus made its debut seven years later.


	9. Act: I Chapter: VIII

**Act: I**

**Chapter VIII**

* * *

><p>The following day had been uneventful. With much of the military body performing drills as well as receiving additional weaponry, it was becoming more and more obvious that conflict would soon spread. Even the civilians were beginning to show their fears of war and doubts of peace. Though in light of this, Raisa could not complain.<p>

"Thank you, ma'am."

She said nothing to the man whom had purchased his weapon. Instead, she watched him as he held the single handed sword within his grasp.

"It's rather heavy. What did you use for this?"

"It is not for discussion."

Looking at his weapon in hand, he could see the blue finish which had been implemented into the blade. It gave the impression that he was literally holding liquid steel within his grasp. A beautiful trim of gold lined the cruciform pommel as well as the base of the blade itself.

It was obvious that the very same process which as used in her sword was used within this Falchion. Raisa simply did not wish to explain it, despite the fact that he could ask around and possibly find the answers he sought. She honestly did not care. Her mind was on more important matters. Matters such as how the first offensive would be and knowing that Dalkia would announce their initial debut of hostility and as the harbinger of death, she knew that it would not be long whatsoever.

Looking back to the fatuous one before her, she observed him for a brief moment. He marveled over a weapon which was practically useless in his hands and has even paid possibly the very last or close to the very last of gold he had saved over the past few months. True, the weapon was indeed well-crafted, as well as powerful but with its current wielder, it was useless.

Raisa knew not why he wanted such a useless weapon. The Falchion was powerful, yes, but its weight and his current strength would not guarantee his survival—let alone produce a decent attack.

Its strengths were that its weight could cause the offending individual to lose a bit of their ground due to the overflow of strength combined with the sword's weight, yet, this was against weaker individuals. Against a stronger or skilled combatant, either one of Gallagher's strength or her own caliber, the blade was not a threat.

Watching the fool leave, Raisa stored the pouch of gold underneath the counter and sat herself back down. Her fingers interlaced as the morning rays pierced the windows of before her. Small particles of dust reflected the light as they waltzed about the air. It was in silence she sat for Ky had not yet been awake. She found this to be a problem.

Raisa had already been preparing herself for the inevitable in small steps. Yesterday, she spent the first half of the day finishing the work for the blade which she had just sold and after that, she slept. Due to the lack of sleep which she _normally_ attained, she knew better and chose to watch her hours of rest; thus, she slept for the rest of the day so that she could condition her body for the oncoming slaughter.

She had even gone over comparisons pertaining to Raiko's crossbow and the common Arquebus which was practically within every army. This thought came to her when she reflected upon the woman known as Sara. She had killed one of her own with the Arquebus she carried.

"_One: T__he __A__rquebus __cannot touch a skilled archer whether it be by longbow or by a crossbow.__The problem is with accuracy and the highly skilled archer. Though, it boasts more power than a crossbow and it's stronger than both. There is little physical strength to use in the firearm compared to the bows and thus has the advantage."_

"_Two: The one with the firearm loses less ground in battle as the archer will suffer fatigue far faster than the one with the firearm. Not to mention the firearm can scare animals…mainly horses opposed to elephants."_

"_Three: Wind buffets the arrow but does less so to the shot by the Aquebusier. There is also less training for the firearm opposed to the bow and arrow. Though, the crossbow can be used rather swiftly in the right hands. Thus by drawing and firing, the crossbow and bow can best the firearm in that field but not by a significant margin."_

With those points it is easy to see why most armies are now abandoning the standard longbow and crossbowmen. Not to mention that arrows took far greater time and required a higher level of craft opposed to the firearm. That would also explain why Strife sought to keep her and Ky alive after Girardot made his plea. Either that or Girardot stated that himself and pitched that idea to the Emperor.

In either case, it simply meant that no matter who said what, the bottom line was that Ky and Raisa were being used; cogs in the Murder Machine if anything else.

She was abruptly brought from her mind as the door chime echoed about the silent Shoppe. Opening her eyes, she furrowed a brow as a young girl entered. She was a blonde. Just about the average height as most others of their gender yet most annoyingly, were those clicking of her heels upon the wooden floor. With each step that was taken, Raisa's patience drastically lowered.

With a stupid smile upon her face, she approached the counter and placed her dainty hands upon it.

"Good morning!"

"…it is a _morning_…"

The child was undaunted by Raisa's callous demeanor.

"Are you open for business or is this merely just a rouse which you display beautiful works of art or a mere farce?"

Raisa immediately shot a glare at the child as if she were in possession of a firearm at that precise moment.

"…farce…is one thing which is not found here, child."

Her tone of voice gave away how annoyed she had been, especially since she had just sold a weapon just before this brat had even set a whorish heel within her direction.

"At ease Raisa, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you."

Her smile, large enough to possibly bifurcate her jowl, was met with utter curiosity. She was addressed by her name. She had never laid eye to this child and for her name to be known, especially in the form as if they actually knew each other. This told Raisa that either this child knew of her or was a thief of sorts.

"I actually came her to see if Ky was around but since I don't see him—"

Green daggers were hurled at Ky's newly inserted door. This bastard of a child before her knew him? Raisa immediately crossed her arms in growing frustration.

"KY, WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

Her voice was loud enough to make the child cover her ears and take a wary seven steps away from her. To the child, she thought of Raisa's voice to be that of the demon known as a Banshee. Each word which was screamed had sent chills of ice through the air as well as cooled her ever so bright smile. It was no surprise when Ky came rushing out of his room wearing only his slops and a thin short sleeved shirt made of cotton.

"W—what's wrong?"

Raisa said nothing. Instead, she simply looked at the child whom had been before her. Raisa had also taken notice that she had taken a few retreating steps as a precaution.

His breath, slowly calming to a more relaxed form, he looked at the youngest one within the room and instantly recalled meeting her.

"A…Achilla?"

She was visibly shaking, no doubt from Raisa screaming at the top of her lungs. As he approached her, he squint his brown eyes against the ardent rays of the sun which had been shining through the windows. To his left, he could see blackened silhouettes of civilians passing by. Some of which were not moving. Again, Raisa's screaming had possibly struck fear into their very beings.

"What's goi—"

A small yelp of enthrallment left his throat as Achilla threw her arms around Ky's waist. Her face, buried into his stomach, as she now stood roughly half his height.

"Canwepleasegosomewhereelsebecauseshescaresmehalft odeathandIdontknowwhattodoandI-I-I…"

"Achilla calm down!"

With a hand nervously placed upon her shoulder, he continued to speak after he took a breath.

"I'll uh…get ready alright? Just…uh, wait here—"

"WHAT?!"

With the sudden burst of her voice he flinched and immediately chose new words.

"Just sit in there and I'll get dressed okay?"

Ever so slowly, the child known as Achilla, leered from around his right torso and eyed the small room behind him. Immediately after that, she slowly turned her head until she locked eyes with Raisa, whom still sat with her arms crossed. After a second of staring into the chilling green eyes of the Russian, Achilla released Ky and bolted for the room behind him. Raisa smirked when Achilla slammed the door behind her. Ky on the other hand was none too impressed by her display.

"Seriously…?"

It had been the only thing he said while raising his arms in protest to Raisa's actions which he knew not, but he knew well enough that Raisa enjoyed terrifying the poor child.

"She called my work a farce…I felt justified in possibly reducing her years of life by fright alone."

"…Not everyone is—"

Ky stopped talking as he realized something. Achilla was in his room. He needed to enter his room in order to change clothes as well as put them on. Looking to the floor, Kt mentally cursed and slowly turned his back to Raisa.

Watching him enter his room and close the door, Raisa leaned forward and allowed her forehead to slam into her left palm.

"Dumbass…"

Opening her eyes, she saw a small book which rested on the counter. Apparently that child had left it there after she was frightened. Taking the book in hand, Raisa looked to the spine of the book and it read one word and one word only.

"Astrology…?"

Opening the book, she began to read. The contents were broken down into the twelve signs of the zodiac and then personality traits. To follow this had been animal spirits and representations. As she continued to read the contents, she wondered what exactly she would be. It was not long before curiosity ensnared her within its slavering jaws and in a calm eagerness, Raisa flipped to February and after matching her birth year along with the date in junction, she slowly began to read:

"Your inner animal is the powerful She-Wolf. Loyal and protective, the Wolf is greatly admired. Excelling at lending aid to others as well as highly intelligent, the She-Wolf is very self-sufficient as well as independant. Alas, the She-Wolf allows not many to lend her aid even if the Wolf needs said aid."

"…I thought it was spelled as 'independent'…"

Raisa immediately forgot of the spelling and left it be for it varied upon whom had written the book as well as the dialect.

"…hmph…"

Ignoring that, she continued to read.

"She is passionate and creative in…"

Raisa immediately closed the book and gently pushed it along the counter. Despite seeing what the book said, she refused to repeat that aloud. After a second had passed as she stared at it and instead of flipping it back open, she took hold of it and hurled it at the door. Luckily it did not hit the window. At the same time, Ky opened his door and after he walked through the doorway, he closed the door behind him.

Regaining her composure, Raisa crossed her arms and sighed.

"…my…you do finish fast behind closed doors…"

"Huh…?"

Ky shook his head before he began to speak.

"I'll change and then come back down."

"…hmm…"

Apparently he did not catch the insult. It mattered little as he ascended the stairway, he leaned backwards, holding the guardrail so that he would not fall and looked at Raisa once more while simultaneously pointing.

"Don't forget to pick up the piece from the smith."

With that, he continued on his way while Raisa looked down and frowned. She had honestly forgotten that she needed to pick up the dog which she had wanted made.

"…shit…"

Getting to her feet, Raisa took the spare key to their Shoppe and slowly made her way to the door, though before she could do that, she thought it best to let Ky know that she was about to head out. Honestly, she had felt a bit odd for letting him know as he had done the same thing to her only for her to find it odd.

Closing the door behind him, Ky shuddered as a draft washed him over. Apparently this window had been open. Setting his clothes down, he walked over to the window and slowly closed it. Wooden fixtures were used as a decent form of privacy but it did little to reduce the chill. If he recalled right, these fixtures were called wharfs.

As he began to change, Raisa had yelled up the staircase that she would be heading out and that he needed to be sure he locked everything up before he left. With that said, the door quickly opened and closed behind her.

* * *

><p>Not far from where she resided, Raisa approached the smith which was established here for a few years. As she had heard, he had settled here due to his failing health and instead of continuing on in exploring the world, he chose to stay so that he could work until his death.<p>

As much as Raisa knew, he worked with four other individuals, two of them she has seen, while the others were a mystery to her.

Opening the door, the immediate scent of gunpowder, heated metals, old wood, as well as the humidity itself all rushed her being at once; though instead of feeling overwhelmed, she welcomed the familiar and soothing atmosphere. It meant that work was being done. Instead of dawdling, taking long walks, and procrastinating, actual effort was being placed into the very craft which brought about the antiquity of the age. At least, this was her opinion of antiquity.

Closing the door behind her, Raisa proceeded further into the complex. The walls were colored a brownish-green and multiple shelves had lined the walls ahead of her. Each shelf holding incomplete models of works which were sold. _Display Items_ they were called here. As she took in the displays, she continued on until she rounded a corner, she found that there were two other people here ahead of her. One was a tall male who appeared to be just as tall as Gallagher, the other, was a female who was near the same height as Raisa herself.

They both stood at the counter waiting for the old man to do whatever it was that they required. The 'cubbyhole' (as she called it) was a small glassless window in which one could see the old man as he worked or place an order or even pick up their finished pieces. Raisa pitched the idea that the pieces which were to be retrieved should be on the opposing side, yet, he declined the idea due to thieves who may utilize that side to get in and get out.

Looking to how sealed the area of his work was, she thought of doing something as such with her own area, though she thought it inadvisable. The 'cubbyhole' was the only way to see if anyone was in fact outside of his area of work and the wall which had been in place reached from the floor to the sealing. In this sense, he knew not if anyone entered lest they called him or stood before the small and only opening.

The only thing Raisa could compare it to had been the possible equivalent of looking through a wharf on a ship so that she could see the ocean.

"Bah, it's only a cruciform. I'd rather like something with more originality to it!"

"Must you be as rude while requesting something?"

He paid her no mind. She covered her face with a hand while simultaneously taking into account that Raisa was within her sight. Seeing this, Raisa continued on observing the displays. She currently ogled a small firearm with a loose L shape. Picking it up, she continued to examine it yet, as she examined it, she could hear the male continue to be as obnoxious as he chose to be.

"Come on! I've not all day! I'd like my sword before I die of old age, old man!"

"Garrett, you truly are a moron."

"How am I a moron?"

The male known as Garrett inquired as he turned to face the female with him.

"The old goat said it'd be ready today! Now, it's today and it's not ready!"

Growing annoyed of the yelling, Raisa spoke of her own accord.

"…and you think screaming at him will make him work that much faster?"

Before he spoke, Garrett eyed her. She was not looking in his direction yet he knew full well that she had been addressing him.

"Tch, what'd you know of it?"

Raisa held back her annoyance and responded, maintaining her disinterested and lifeless tone of voice.

"Finishing touches can take up to two to three days depending on the piece as well as how quickly one works."

Setting the display down, she followed this by placing her left hand within her left pocket as continued to speak.

"He is employing the skills of a Whitesmith. That process takes a painstakingly slow time depending on the work which must be placed into the piece as well as the design."

"Good to know, too bad the goat said it'd be done and ready by Tuesday, September, the twenty-seventh. Lo and behold that happens to be today…"

Garrett turned towards the old man whom was working in the back and frowned.

"So where the hell is my goddamn sword old man!?"

"…pathetic…"

He ignored the woman's insult as she began to walk towards Raisa. As she came within five feet, she extended her arm as she prepared to greet her.

"A pleasure to actually meet you face to face Raisa."

As her arm went untaken, the woman lowered it and kept her eyes focused on Raisa's.

"I'll say not much to it in a sense of likewise…who are you?"

"Ah, pardon my rudeness; my name is Dawn, Dawn Larrieux."

"You are French?"

"As you are Russian."

Looking at the insignia once more, Raisa recalled it from when she faced Abelia weeks ago.

"You were watching I take it?"

"Indeed, and may I say, using a _Wōdāo_ as a main weapon is very impressive, especially in the case of it being a rare weapon to see this far West."

"Hm, well I appreciate the compliment, though, what of your…friend there?"

Dawn looked over her shoulder to see Garrett shaking his fist at the elder male about the forge.

"Don't mind him. He is a reckless subordinate."

Raisa crossed her arms and as she did this, a rather sullen look had over taken her face.

"…reckless and more than likely using his attitude to compensate…"

Dawn returned a wide smirk at that comment; however, Raisa had things which she needed to do.

"I apologize for rushing, but I've things I must do."

Stepping to the side, Raisa began to approach the counter until Dawn called her. Turning, she said nothing but locked eyes with the Commander.

"Who's unit are you with?"

Raisa wondered why that would matter, yet, she answered seeing as Dawn posed no harm to her in any fashion.

"…_Gungnir_."

"Ah, I see. Priya's unit."

Nodding, Raisa turned and continued on until she stood next to Garrett. As she leered over the counter, she could see the man slaving away at the cruciform which Garrett wanted. Looking to her left, she saw Garrett leaning against the wall and growing more impatient by the second. Quite frankly, Raisa did not want to hear him yell anymore for his voice was grating.

"Hey, Cepheus…"

Without hesitation, the old man known as Cepheus looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Raisa, how've you been?"

Setting his mallet down and holstering his other tools, he approached the Russian and asked what she was doing and if she was picking anything up.

"The dogs."

"Aha, yes, I've that finished just as intricate as your model."

The old man vanished for a second to her right and since he was behind the counter, she could not see what he had been doing. Though seconds later, he brought both the dogs to her and wished her a good day.

"Wait, you've got to pay for that!"

Dawn was looking at some of the designs just as Raisa had been doing earlier, yet, after Garrett spoke once more, Dawn looked at him and frowned.

"No, no, she has already paid! No need to worry, Raisa, go on."

Nodding to the man known as Cepheus, Raisa turned and headed for the exit. Along the way, she and Dawn exchanged glances with each of them nodding to the other before Raisa passed her.

* * *

><p>After Raisa had returned, she needed to unlock the front door which shows that Ky did not forget to lock everything up. Progressing towards the counter, she found a small letter which more than likely Ky had left for her.<p>

"_Raisa,_

_A message came while you were gone. There's some announcement that's gonna be made at the church closest to the castle._

_Please, make sure you get there by 17:00."_

"Great…that lessens my time to work…"

After she sat herself down, she immediately resumed working on her revolvers. It took only a half hour for her to finish _Vindicate_ while _Heartless_ required more work. This was due to Raisa bouncing to and fro with each weapon so that their progress was roughly equal; though she needed to modify the dog's shape as well as the barrel for _Heartless_. That alone would take roughly six hours—time which she currently did not have.

A small amount of craft was done to _Heartless_ but nothing truly significant. She had to go and if Ky left a letter then more than likely, it was The Declaration which she had predicted. Heaving a sigh, the Russian prepared to leave.

* * *

><p>At the church, there were hundreds, possibly over a thousand soldiers standing within as well outside this massive church. It must have been truly important for this many soldiers to turn up. The church itself was large. Far larger than any he had ever seen. Some soldiers were seated while most stood; this made it difficult for navigation through the crowd; though he still had to try.<p>

Making his way through the crowd had been Ky, as he walked, several individuals laughed as he passed them by, but he did not make it known that he knew what they were laughing at. Wearing a leather tunic, jodhpurs, and wet weather boots, he was deemed as poor compared to others wearing clothing which revealed just how much gold they made as well as how wealthy they were.

People were everywhere. Conversations were many and it was impossible to tell what anyone had been saying unless he was directly in front of or next to them. As he looked up, he could see soldiers on the balconies which surrounded the innards of the church. Most of them, who had been upon these balconies, were higher ranking individuals. Some were Specialists and lower but they were few. As he looked to the faces, he could see battle hardened individuals whom were talking amongst themselves while others looked to the massive group below.

As he continued to look at the faces while simultaneously progressing through the crowd, he caught sight of E'lara. He recalled briefly meeting her and the invitation. He then wondered one thing which truly stuck out in his mind.

"_There was supposed to be food…and dinner…wasn't there…?"_

Stopping in his tracks, he knew he was right. Though, then why was there no food offered? Looking to the balconies once more, he could see someone upon the balcony looking down to the hundreds of faces which riddled the main floor. Looking closely, he was able to make out Abelia, whom was silently standing with a hand upon the smooth stone guard of balcony.

Even her style of dress was much more impressive when compared to him. Abelia wore a shirt of silk and from where he was; he could see that she wore white gloves. He assumed them to be silk as well. Her hair had been styled in the fashion of two curls which bounced with every movement she made. It appeared as if she had been looking for someone by how intently she scanned the massive crowd, yet as her gaze neared him; Ky immediately broke his stare and continued on. She was too intimidating of a woman and preferred not to lock eyes with her.

He had been moving in this direction simply because he wanted to get close enough to the center or if possible, the front, so he could hear what was being said clearly, yet as he tried to move pass more people, he realized that it would be difficult to progress any further. Everyone was practically shoulder to shoulder.

"_I can't get any closer…"_

With this thought, Ky turned and made his way towards the rear of the complex. Passing by several soldiers whom he had just passed seconds ago and again, they laughed. Ignoring them, he made his way back to the entrance of the church and after ten minutes of moving in one direction, he did just that. Yet reached the rear, he was greeted by a rather pleasing and surprising sight.

"I thought you'd stay back instead of coming…"

"I pick and choose what to ignore. Sadly this is something I cannot ignore…"

Raisa opened her eyes and looked at the statue which stood erect at the epicenter of the church.

"…even though I already know that the outcome of this 'meeting'…"

Ky silently sighed as he blinked. Raisa truly was taking advantage of the system or rather, she was simply being smart. After all, so far, Raisa had been right. Ky has even noticed the changes in how things are conducted. Regiments are taking shape and patrols have even increased. The only thing he did not understand was why neither of the units which were on _Border Patrol_ that week end were not amongst them.

Before he could ask anything, Raisa looked skyward, to the ceiling and chuckled. Instinctively, he took a step away from her. To be honest, whenever Raisa laughed, chuckled, or made that yondere giggle that was ever so rare of hers, he knew something was wrong or bound to happen.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below…"

Again, Raisa chuckled. Ky's face revealed a bit of his innermost agitation but if he were to react to Raisa's words, she would not hesitate to restrain him—or worse—embarrass him in front of half of the Parousian military force.

"The masses carry personal crosses and some even have paintings of _It_, within their homes. It is comical how one contradicts themselves and chooses what they wish to follow."

Ky narrowed his eyes as Raisa once again chuckled. He noticed that a few soldiers had paid Raisa attention for her to laugh to any degree was truly rare. Not only that but, most of the conversation which others were holding had died down and her chuckle had echoed about the church as a result.

Turning around, he knew that only two individuals could bring about such a silence and as he looked towards the small stage which was set just for this occasion, he saw him. It had been the first time which Ky had ever saw Girardot without armor yet as he looked at the man, he was much, much stronger than Ky physically. That was no question.

"It's good to see that most of you are here,"

Girardot wore a silk tunic and leather leggings. His boots also appeared to be made from leather but Ky was unable to verify that from the distance he currently was at.

"…most of our forces are training or on patrol searching for any threats so that we do not have a repeated of this past week end."

"…and now the 'bad news'…"

Ky looked over his shoulder as Raisa said that but quickly turned his attention back to Girardot. Raisa knew him better than he did after all. So for her to predict what he would do would be expected but not always accurate.

"As you all know, there have been…rumors, circulating about pertaining to Dalkia and the Border Incident. It falls to me to inform you all, as a whole, that Aurelia, the head and Queen of Dalkia, has declared war upon Grandall!"

Once again, Raisa was correct. There was an immediate uproar of discontent as well a few beginning to panic. Ky looked through the crowd of soldiers and he could see the sea of dismay. Some were arguing amongst themselves while others held faces of worry. An even smaller number said nothing and a sparse number were completely calm.

Raisa was one of those few who were calm. Ky on the other hand simply said nothing despite the fear and worry he felt swelling inside of his very being.

"Now listen!"

Despite his words, most individuals continued to speak, completely ignoring Girardot's words.

"CEASE!"

His voice, louder than that of a Banshee yet deep enough to identify him as a human slew the string of conversation. Ky noticed just how silent it had become as he heard the flapping of what he thought to be a bird. Looking skyward, he was absolutely right. It was a small black bird which had descended and as it drew near him it deviated towards Raisa.

"Oh…?"

Extending her left arm, she allowed the Messenger to land within her palm and as it did, it chirped once. This gained the attention of many whom turned to find the source of the sound and when some of them did, they immediately turned back to face Girardot. Only one had something to say.

"Ah, little Raisa has a pet…how cute."

With the current silence, everyone heard his insult; yet, Girardot would not stand for it.

"I assume you are just as brave and stout Emerson? You who were ridden with 'bed-sickness' and declined your duties which left _Gungnir_ to be deployed in place of your unit _Pride_, Raisa alone is one who deserves your title of _Commander_ as you do not even deserve hers, coward!"

Silence hung in the air after that fact was made known to roughly **every** soldier of the Parousian military. With those surrounding him slowly moving away, Emerson lowered his head and placed a hand to his face in embarrassment.

As Girardot continued to speak, Raisa looked to the small message which her beloved dove brought her. After it untied the string around its ankle, the black dove leapt from her hand and took flight only to land upon her left shoulder.

"Starting tomorrow each of you will be permanently assigned to a unit, not as you are assigned now, but your permanent unit. These individuals whom you will fight alongside shall be your allies and are to be treated as family for they and only they have the power to save you from a hastened death! To those whom command, treat your subordinates with respect, dignity and honor. Just as you lead them, they shall lead you to a brighter future. For in war there are no guarantees. There is no surrendering in hopes of surviving for your enemy has proven that even with prisoners of war, they are humiliated and then killed."

A moment of silence passed before Girardot spoke again.

"To you whom are women in the line, this is extended to you, as a prisoner, you can expect the absolute worst of what will happen. Men will be at their true lowest forms as you are shackled and it cannot be assured if you will survive or even if you know only your husband opposed to another man. This is something you should already know and another reason why you must never, become a prisoner for even if you survive, there is no guarantee you will be rescued."

"_T—that's…"_

"To you men, treat your female comrades with honor, respect, and ensure they have a family to return to. For all are daughters while some are sisters; even a few are mothers whom fight to protect their families' name and support their children. Do as you will unto them as if they be your own mother and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve—for anything less will not be tolerated."

"Raisa…"

Looking towards her left, she saw none other than Riese. Her arms were crossed and she appeared to be in good spirits despite the news which was received. With a gesture to follow made, Raisa rotated on her heels and followed Riese outside of the church and into the courtyard.

* * *

><p>Watching her leave, her eyes then locked on Ky whom was watching her as well. It seemed more as if he had been worried about her instead of the situation at hand.<p>

"Your second seems distracted."

"…he is."

Placing her hands upon the smooth stone guardrail, the youngest Delgado held eyes which were slowly filling with sorrow. The news of war, _a real war_ was beginning to sink in. Priya was silent in light of the news but her mind was racing with worries, possibilities, and most of all…fear.

"You, yourself even sound distracted. Is there a problem?"

Priya slowly balled her left hand into a fist.

"…his life…as well as Meiga and Raisa's are in my hands from this point on."

Abelia turned her head in Priya's direction. As she observed her, she could see that she had slowly begun to come undone. Abelia felt a small amount of fear as well, but the way she saw it was completely different from Priya's perspective.

"This point…? They always were in your hands."

Priya blankly stared into the crowd beneath them as Abelia continued to speak.

"As soon as they step foot into the field, border or actual war, their life is in your hands. You kept them all alive as they kept each other alive as well as kept you alive, so why are you worried?"

A point was made yet Priya had lost it amongst her thoughts.

"What if I be not strong enough to even protect myself?"

Priya continued to speak while watching the crowd. Abelia silently listened to the General speak as well as Priya's words.

"In the end I am only one woman. Young in years and still learning. If I can't ensure their survival then what would I have learned?"

"…**there have been attempts to mend the situation with Dalkia but thus far, our words have fallen upon deaf ears…"**

Despite Priya standing next to Abelia, Girardot's voice nearly trampled over her spoken words. Yet amongst their words, Abelia could hear someone approaching. Whoever it was had been wearing heels for that clicking was the only other constant sound which rivaled Girardot's voice.

"They are all children still. Unknowing to the world and what it has to offer as well as what will rob them of what they have themselves."

"…bottom line Priya, without your unit working as one, you'll never survive. So just keep in mind that you all must stick together and take your targets down one at a time. Well, just do not go and kill anything that moves and be frantic as Raisa was last week."

She said nothing to this. Instead, Priya continued on with her own worries.

"Ky is only seventeen years young while Raisa is nineteen…"

Priya now looked to the ceiling. It was beautiful really; a painting of Jesus as he holds his angels in an audience.

"…how can I ensure they will survive so that they live and possibly even begin their own families someday if I am not certain of their future?"

The sound of heels now ceased just before they reached the pair. Turning her head to see who it was, Abelia blinked as E'lara took a spot next to her.

"The future is defined by the present and no one can forsee the future unless they can direct the present."

Priya acknowledged E'lara's direct counter to her worries yet she also saw the valid point which was made.

"Though there are much more important things instead of war at the moment, wouldn't you both agree?"

Abelia's eyes were wide as E'lara spoke those words. A thought flashed through her mind of E'lara not taking what was to come seriously.

"For instance, the replica you see upon the church's ceiling was originally shunned due to its content."

Abelia furrowed a brow and looked to the ceiling, just as Priya had been doing for the past few minutes.

"A shame this is not before 1564…"

Her voice unveiled that she had been rather disappointed. As she continued to examine the painting upon the ceiling,

"Biagio lacked imagination and also truth. Not to mention foresight…"

Priya slowly turned her head to E'lara as she heaved yet another sigh.

"Biagio da Cesena said of the painting, being the _Last Judgment_, was disgraceful in a sacred place and that such work is most fitting in a public bath or perhaps even a tavern. Despite the fact that Eve and Adam were both born without clothing and had obviously seen each other in their purest forms, Biagio believed that the painting as well as bible need not such…"

She hesitated as she placed her right ring finger to her chin.

"Limited imagination?"

E'lara smiled, showing her teeth while doing so as she confirmed what Abelia had said to be correct. Even though it was only their opinion, they had at least gotten along when it came to something.

"Cesena's face was made into that of Minos as I recall."

E'lara's eyes seemed to spring to life as Abelia said those words.

"The Judge?"

Abelia nodded which answered Priya's question.

"…much like Emerson, he too had the ears of a jackass…"

Priya could not help but give a small smirk while E'lara stifled her laughter. It was true after all. Emerson's ears were long and appeared to be drooping. The depiction of a jackass was most fitting for him, especially with the brief history which Girardot had just given.

"I do find myself torn yet again…"

"Torn?"

Abelia repeated as they both listened to E'lara. Abelia made eye contact with E'lara as Priya watched the masses below.

"Biagio's lower body or rather, his _nudity_ was covered by that of a serpent's being. Does that mean or could that mean I should say, that Biagio was being depicted as the being which also guided Eve and Adam into oblivion?"

Abelia blinked at that question. Perhaps Michelangelo had more than one meaning for Biagio, but there was not a way for any of them to know.

"That…is a good question."

After she admitted that, she looked to the general below her. He was still speaking of war and what to expect.

"…**Aurelia will not restrain herself nor her forces and she will do whatever she can to ensure that she will achieve victory—despite her country being divided between two opposing forces as it is…"**

"We must expect even the unexpected."

Abelia and E'lara looked at Priya, whose voice was shaky as she spoke those words.

"That is true; though it is also true that Michelangelo depicted himself as the skin which is flayed."

Priya looked at E'lara via her peripheral and frowned.

"I do appreciate what you are trying to do, yet there is still the war to come when it is all set and done, we each will have to face it."

"We understand that, but if we continually worry of it, it could make us inefficient in combat and overcome by fear."

Priya now fell silent as she looked to the crowd beneath her. With a silent nod, she watched and listened to Girardot while E'lara and Abelia looked once more to the ceiling.

"Minos guards the entrance to the second circle correct?"

"Correct. After Limbo, there is Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery."

"Minos guards the gateway to the lower circle after judging the damned. Though isn't there a wheel of sorts which deals with that?"

"After the _Blind Judge_ judges the damned, they are impaled by the spiked wheel and spun down to their eternal place in Hell. Yet, depending on where you read, he may coil the soul with his serpentine tail and the number of coils represents where they go."

"I've heard nothing of the wheel let alone read, yet, I know the coiling or rather, the binding. It's rather fitting to those who live for Lust such as Surina's mistake."

Priya's facial expression was a rare one. E'lara saw it as resentment if not outright hate. Abelia looked not in Priya's direction thus, she saw nothing.

"…oddly though, most would say Lust is the worst sin, but that is actually false."

"Lust is disgracefully here in Purgatory, not in the afterlife."

E'lara nodded.

"The circles are concentric after all."

As she lifted her right thumb to her chin, she continued.

"Thus they increase in wickedness the further one travels. Lust is only sin of the flesh which is easily forgivable; which is why it is the first after Limbo, which is the closest to Paradise. That would mean that Lust is not what is so wrong or evil. Treachery is the most harmful of all sins as well as Pride."

"I see. Though, then what makes of the three beasts? I ask this seeing as you've partaken in reading the _Divinus Comedia_ as well, have you not?"

"I have. Though the beasts, as I've thought, match the indulgence, the violent and lastly the malicious. Unfortunately, not one can come to a true conclusion as to what they may represent."

"Hm…what do you suppose makes it difficult to tell? The nether Hells are after all _Aristotelian_."

E'lara thought for a moment before she answered.

"Human minds can only imagine so much until they cannot even begin to attempt to conceive what truly is before them."

Abelia smirked as she looked on to the crowd.

"Much like Emerson, I will never understand how one can be so low yet boast of bedding women and only disliking those whom reject him."

E'lara, with blue eyes looked to Abelia. She knew not much of Emerson though she had heard his name before this day. Yet, with this knowledge, E'lara made a mental note to never be around the man.

"That's actually rather pathetic."

The blonde retained her smirk after E'lara said that.

"…indeed he is."

* * *

><p>Due to his booming voice, Girardot's speech could still be heard outside. Though that mattered little, it had been silent outside of the church and even the courtyard. Some observed through the wharfs of their homes while others observed through the glass windows of their dwellings.<p>

She never did understand why this region had a mixture of both opposed to simply one. Perhaps they were slowly upgrading to windows or some were purchasing the glass while others decided to keep their wharfs.

In all honesty, it mattered none to her. Looking down, Raisa had begun to read the message which had been sent to her as she leaned against a wall of the church.

"Do you think we've a chance?"

"As a whole or individual speaking?"

Riese furrowed a brow before answering.

"Individually."

"Between the two of us, yes."

Raisa briefly looked in the direction of the numerous dwellings towards the east of her current position. They each were constructed with bricks of a darkened gray color with light gray roofs. Raisa could not understand why nearly everything here appeared to be the same. It was almost suffocating to see this country as such.

"Do you doubt your unit?"

As this was asked of her, Raisa began to think on the matter. Her arms were crossed and she had been leaning against a short wall within the courtyard of the church.

"Meiga…is lacking in terms of physical endurance, or, rigorous and continuous activity. I've yet to see his skill with his katana and pistol."

"Meiga is the one whom has just joined you correct?"

Raisa nodded.

"He and Ky fought alongside each other and were able to prevail. I doubt Meiga had much to do with that…"

Riese's silence as well as her questioning facial appearance wanted a greater explanation.

"Ky has a rather…odd form of fighting…I will leave it at that."

"I see. What of your Commanding Officer?"

"Priya is a very capable woman; naïve, but very capable. Her flexibility allows her to outmaneuver most foes but I worry if she crosses swords with one whom can match her nimble nature. Either that or one who is a _close-quarters_ just as we are."

The brunette narrowed her eyes as she looked towards innards of the church. She saw Girardot pacing as he spoke. He was sizing the soldiers up before him. In this brief silence, Raisa resumed reading.

"She should be fine as she is your commanding officer."

"You've not seen her spar…"

Riese was silent after this was said. She deduced that Raisa was able to see each of her weak points just from watching her display. She could have learned even more depending on whom Priya's opponent was.

"Surina?"

Raisa nodded. Thus, Riese concluded that she had at least a basic understanding to how both the Delgado sisters would act in combat.

"What of Ky?"

"…"

Raisa was silent for a moment. After gathering her thoughts, she spoke.

"Immature and overly naïve…"

"Oh? Though he did prove his worth didn't he?"

"In..?"

Riese slowly shook her head and then turned away from Raisa. After locking her eyes onto a small leaf, the Russian spoke.

"The enemy which was killed before them, was killed by one whom had defected from the Brigands at the last moment. It is not he who made her do such, neither did Meiga, she, this, Sara, left them and thought none of the matter."

"I wager it be to save herself since you thought it wise to burn their hold to the ground."

Raisa furrowed a brow for she took this as a strike towards her judgment.

"To draw any other threats from their base-camp, yes. I intended nor expected the explosion. Though it means their powder reserves were destroyed."

"Hmm…"

She was correct. This means she had disarmed their shared enemies entirely despite her not doing so intentionally.

"Speaking of powder…"

Riese recalled that Raisa had modified firearms and a modified weapon. She had only seen something close to it once and this firearm was able to fire consecutively which made it far more dangerous than a mere pistol.

"Those which I encountered were only capable of firing a single shot, yet you…"

"They are _Revolvers_."

"Modified Revolvers."

A small smirk wrote itself about Raisa's lips as Riese pointed that out.

Drawing _Vindicate_, Raisa tossed the firearm to Riese, who in turn, caught the firearm without much effort. Let alone turning to see the firearm being tossed. As she held the firearm by its handle, she blinked and marveled at the design of the firearm. Little did Riese know, _Heartless_, was incomplete while _Vindicate_ had been prepped, tested, and finalized for the upcoming struggle that this country would face.

It held a light bluish gray finish and like most revolvers, it had a single barrel. A small dragon was engraved into the steel grip and the grip itself was finished with a black coloring. What took Riese by surprise had been the object's weight and length. It was easily as long as her elbow to her wrist. Even more so, was how thick the weapon was. Easily, this firearm had to weigh at least fifteen pounds which again, was highly unusual.

"The dog is made of steel and is pulled opposed to pushed."

"…So that you do not have to struggle against having to fire if you are under pressure."

"Precisely…though the weight, as you've noticed, is so that if another desired to use my own weapon against me—"

"It would prove to be difficult."

"Correct."

"I noticed its weight as soon as I caught it, yet, isn't this a bit taxing for you to use for a prolonged period of time?"

"I am still getting used to it. But it is easier since I use a heavier blade as well."

"The Damascus-based weapon, yes."

Raisa narrowed her eyes as that was said.

"I know what makes your weapon though it be not Damascus alone. That much I know, yet, it be strong, it cannot last forever."

"Say what you will, it has not failed me yet, nor shall it."

Holding the firearm by the barrel, Riese extended her arm and reached forth for Raisa, who in turn took her firearm and holstered it.

A few moments had passed with only Girardot's words echoed amongst the courtyard before either of them had said anything.

"This will truly be a disaster more so than anything."

Raisa eyed Riese.

"Dalkia and Grandall have been allies for years. Seeing them fight one another will not be easy for anyone of either side to endure. I'd even imagine that both civilians and military are uneasy about what will happen as well."

Raisa made a dismissing sound as she waved off the fact that there were those who did not want to go to war but had no choice.

"Brothers killing brothers and possibly even wives killing husbands; it'd be a tragedy if a son killed his father for the sake of his country while his father knew not who his killer was or rather, if he beckoned his son into killing him."

"Bottom line is, it means we will be against your very allies."

Riese frowned as she faced Raisa.

"They are your allies as well Raisa…from the point when we set foot upon the battlefield; we are all susceptible to injury, rape, and even death."

"…"

Raisa's face changed from passively uncaring to anger.

"I'll be dead—actually, I will be eviscerated, dismembered, bifurcated, decapitated and have my remains burned black to where wild dogs dare not feast upon it before any 'man' thinks of using that pathetically small pink thing of his on my corpse."

Before Riese could speak, Raisa closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"…death before dishonor. That is what I live by."

"I understand,"

Riese looked towards the cross which stood erect atop the church.

"…we all live by our code in some fashion whereas we also kill others for not following our way of life…or code, though in the end it is simply to eradicate those whom we find a threat to how we wish to live."

"Such as what is to come; but in honesty, Dalkia will be slaughtered by Halteese and then it be between the Empire and the Republic."

"You know of Halteese disliking Grandall?"

"I wager they know of Parousia aiding Dalkia…thus it explains their hatred. Beyond that, I know nothing."

"…possibly."

"Either way, Halteese is a guerrilla fashioned-fighter, whether you shoot them in the back or act upon tact and let them run only to ambush them makes little if any difference."

The elder of the two smirked as her blue eyes once again found Raisa.

"Well, well, well…quite the murderer aren't you?"

Raisa smirked as she crossed her legs whilst leaning against the wall.

"Mordacious aren't you?"

"Heh…"

Riese looked to the darkened sky with a blank expression replacing her small smile from Raisa's words.

"Dalkia had once been our ally, yet now we are to slay one another. Surely you've some thought as to how your current country must react or should?"

The Russian said nothing. In this silence Riese assumed she needed to verify what she was asking.

"I suppose I am seeking the answer to how the situation sits with you?"

Raisa continued to read the small message which she had received as this was asked of her.

"'Our' and 'your' and 'my' are at complete opposite ends."

Raisa had just stated that without circumstance she bears no true allegiance to either side of the conflict. Riese could understand where she had been coming from, yet for some reason, she could not grasp Raisa's standpoint.

"Be it that you seek to lend your aid due to your…situation?"

"…and only because to it."

Her response was lifeless as she finished reading and now pocketed the message. Before Riese could ask anything else of her, the small dove chirped as it spread its wings. Immediately after that, it had leapt off Raisa's shoulder and took flight. Watching the small black bird fly, she thought it rather strange that she had never heard a dove chirp. Then again, she had never taken time to think of such things.

"Life is fleeting. Just as the wings of a bird…"

Riese continued to watch the black bird fly as Raisa spoke.

"…people cling to hope as if it will always be there with them. They are wrong. Just as they make pact after pact, they believe they will all come back alive and live as nothing has happened. Bluntly, half of them will die."

Riese now turned her blue eyes to Raisa as she spoke the last word of that sentence.

"It is a war. People will naturally die, but they must do what they can to prepare themselves for what is to come."

"…tch…"

Riese narrowed her eyes as Raisa made that dismissive sound to her words.

"Bifurcation, evisceration, dismemberment, hate, blood, gore, death, prisoners, fire, rape, torture, abuse, slaughter, lost innocence, decay, and rot…need I continue?"

Riese said nothing. She merely looked to the coming nightfall that was the endless cries of agony and the endless showers of blood which would rain down upon her.

"You may be my elder, but I am not fatuous."

"Yet you are not even twenty years of age as I've heard."

Riese looked away from the horizon and down to the youthful face of Raisa, whom stood with her arms crossed.

"Do that be true?"

"I will age yet again in months…which answers your question…"

Riese smirked.

"…hmm…nineteen and brilliant…"

Raisa furrowed a brow to this compliment. The reason for this is because she was not used to hearing compliments outside of her sword skill or firearm capabilities.

"Most women your age dream of only marriage and bearing children or rather, a prince charming. You're…_very_ different to say the least. Nothing insulting but, it is a rare sight to see."

"There are two…things…that are called _dreams_. One is probably that of the subconscious which refuses to rest even after the body chooses slumber—or is forced to partake in it. That means that the conscious mind is a victim to whatever the subconscious wants to see or wants the conscious mind to see."

Riese blinked in enthrallment as Raisa spoke those words. Apparently she had thought about such a topic before. Then again, not much was known about Raisa except that she could possibly have been from Russia, though her accent leaves little guessing to be done about her origin. Though Russia was quite far from Parousia and for her to travel here—especially alone, she must have had a great deal of time to herself to think about everything and anything.

As Raisa rolled her shoulders to work out the stiffness which had slowly seeped into them, Riese eyed the direction in which she heard footsteps. Whoever they were had been had been wearing greaves. Not only that, but it appeared that it had been two of them.

"The other is for hopes and plans. I would highly doubt we are the only…beings…to dream in the first sense. As for the second, we are not the only ones capable of deep planning, but we are lucky to have unparalleled ability to realize those ambitions when they arise. Though, who knows how an animal truly thinks."

"I never knew you were such the philosopher."

Riese looked on to the two individuals which came into her view. One was a woman and the other was a man. The man was roughly six feet while the woman had been just as tall as her. Her armor held a _phoenix_ upon her left breast and for the man, he was in full armor and the _phoenix_ was upon his face mask.

Riese knew neither of them yet, Raisa looked in their direction as did the woman look in Raisa's.

"Dawn."

"Good evening, Raisa."

"…it is an evening."

Riese studied the new comer with intensity as the two spoke amongst themselves.

"Ah, a bit rude of me, earlier you've met Garrett; this is Trevor, the Light Infantry _Specialist_. He's also one of the best amongst Parousia I might add."

Trevor looked down to Dawn and then back to Raisa. It seemed as if he did not think of himself as one of the best as she had deemed him.

Dawn was a brunette. Fair skinned. Her hair, cut short in jagged layers and her eyes, a brilliant summer brown. By her accent, Riese could tell that she was French. What stood out most had been her insignia. The _phoenix_ was one which she had personally not seen in any Parousian records let alone as a unit itself. This led her to believe either the unit was just established or that something was amiss.

As for the man, the insignia was about his armor as well. His features were hidden by his armor with the exception of his ice-colored eyes. From his build, Riese knew he had been strong while the woman appeared to be fragile, though with not knowing anything of her or the man, they could be deceiving in appearance—especially the woman known as Dawn.

Raisa looked to the towering man in silver armor who in turn gave a small wave. Raisa gave a small nod, acknowledging his greeting.

"He is more respectable than the one in black armor, though I suspect that they are each other's own polarity?"

Dawn smiled, yet as quickly as that smile formed, it had vanished.

"More than just a mere polarity I'm afraid."

"Well, he is much better company than the other. You should do best by him for he seems to be a better soldier as well as a better person."

The man looked down to Dawn who in turn looked up to his towering height.

"Duly noted."

After this was said, Dawn turned her gaze to Riese, whom had been silent.

"Worry not Riese, I pose no threat to either of you."

"I worry of nothing nor do I fear anything. An observation is an observation."

Dawn said nothing. Instead, she brought her half-mask to her face and latched it to her armor. After that, she slowly pulled her black hood over her head.

"It is impossible to observe what you cannot see. Remember that."

With that said, the two continued on. After they had left the courtyard, Raisa answered Riese's question.

"As for a philosopher, I am no such thing. Nor would I want to be; for a philosopher is a person who knows less and less about more and more until they know nothing of everything. So why should I stupefy myself for the world's knowledge when most of the world's knowledge will never benefit me?"

The two of them immediately ceased as they heard movement. It was enough to shake the ground underneath them. Riese came to the conclusion that the meeting was now adjourned. As soldiers began to slowly leave the church, Riese looked to Raisa and bid her leave. In mere seconds she was lost amongst the crowd.

"I know not what…but there is something about her that I do not trust…"

Raisa knew that something was amiss. From purposely dropping her equipment, to observing Riese and even to how she caught the revolver without turning around led to a greater depth of mystery to the elder woman. Though Raisa would find that out later; as for now, she needed to finish working on _Heartless_ before _Gungnir_ was thrown to the front lines.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter VIII End<strong>

_End Notes:_

Dawn: Raisa identified her insignia upon her breastplate and knows that she leads a squadron of individual ranking. The _Phoenix _which rests upon her left breast (above her heart) is the representation of her devotion to her squadron. Raisa believes that Dawn outranks even Annebella, but she knows not for certain. She knows for a fact that Garrett and Trevor are both under her command and that Trevor is far more into her (Dawn's) liking that Garrett.

On the contrary, Dawn knows well enough what Raisa is capable of as she witnessed each of her battles with the exception of the one where Raisa faced off against Agave before Strife and Strife alone. Thus she treats Raisa with respect—almost as if Raisa herself matched Dawn in rank.

Garrett: An obnoxious, crude, lewd, and direct individual. He is valued due to his immense knowledge on weaponry both outdated, and newly invented. He serves as Heavy Infantry. His actual rank is unknown.

Trevor: Has met Priya in an earlier chapter yet now he stands in full armor and his features are hidden behind heavy armor. His is a Light Infantry Specialist.

**Vocab**

Whitesmith: One whom performs finishing touches on whatever is crafted. This extends to filing and polishing. (Cepheus was working on polishing Garrett's blade) Also, Whitesmiths work with light colored metal such as pewter and tin. Whitesmiths do the majority of their work on cold metal. a hearth is used to warm metal so that they can work if they need to. Most Whitesmiths work with/on items such as but not limited to: Tin, pewter, water pitchers, forks, spoons, and candle holders and it was a common occupation during this time. (before modern industrialization)

Blacksmith (Key difference): Works mostly with hot metal.

Dog (Engineering): The dog is a spring-loaded arm pivoted on the outside of the lock plate. A sparking material, usually a small piece of iron pyrite, is clamped and held by vise-like jaws at the swinging end of the arm.

There are two possible positions to which it can be pivoted by hand: a safe position, in which the dog is pushed towards the muzzle of the firearm, and an 'operating' position, where the dog is pulled towards the operator so that the pyrite in its jaws can engage either the top of the pan cover, or the edge of a steel wheel bearing longitudinal grooves around its circumference. The latter most being if the pan cover is not present.

**_Historical Notes_**

Aristotelian:Conception of virtue and vice. This means that sins are weighed in the categories of wantonness, violence, and lastly, fraud. Wantonness is the most mild of the three for it represents a weakness in controlling one's natural urges. Violence is the second which is far more offensive, for it deals with violence against others, violence against one's self, and lastly violence against God. Fraud is the highest of these crimes and is thus, the most unforgivable.


	10. Act: I Chapter: IX

I used quite a few different aspects in this chapter. However, if you dislike light sexually charged humor, you are advised not to read, also, as a pre-chapter warning, due to content, within the next few chapters, this fiction will be moved to the 'M' category.

* * *

><p><strong>Act: I<strong>

**Chapter: I****X**

* * *

><p>Sept. 28th<p>

The passing days were slow and nerve-racking. Raisa had completed her modifications to both _Heartless_ and _Vindicate_ while also maintaining her blade _Sapphire_. However, she had been working on a private piece which no one had yet to see. She disliked it herself but it was needed for the times to come. Timing those whom would normally frequent the _Shoppe_ as well as when Ky normally woke up, Raisa placed her work under the counter and then rested her arms upon the countertop.

In the fashion of clockwork, Ky's door opened and he walked out of his room barefoot. He wore long leather pants and wore a long-sleeved tunic. His hair was tied and he seemed as if he had just woken up.

"Less productive as usual…" He groaned as she said those words to him. Raisa had been awake as early as dawn working while Ky was accustomed to beginning much later in the day. "…is it not the charge of one to rise early in order to get work done?"

"I'm up; do you have to keep me up at the same time instead of shifts?" Raisa looked him over.

"You once said, we are in this together, so why can't you wake when I do?"

"That doesn't mean we have to be awake at the same time. It just means during the morning, you could work and then by the afternoon, I take over from there."

"…really, and this is coming from one with an inferior firearm; else, a weak arm?" Ky's face shriveled at her insult. "Well, I suppose, at least you missed your target by mere feet opposed to damn near killing an innocent animal like Meiga."

Ky and Raisa argue over Ky's current pistol design and modifications.

"A weapon is only as good as its smith."

"I know that." He responded.

"If you do, then you'd know your weapon is completely insufficient with combat."

"You can't say that it's insufficient!"

"I can and I have, you have one shot, then you need to reload. I have six per firearm, which gives me up to twelve if I want to go that route. My targets, anywhere from one to twelve will be long dead while yours is closing in on your for the kill, if not, has killed you already."

"It is no fault of mine that you believe that your own make is enough for several enemies. That is simply the logic of a child." Along with the uproar of voices outside, Raisa was able to discern Raiko's voice and even had the chance to spot her mixed within a different group of men than that she had been seen with a few days prior. Scoffing, Raisa added on to her earlier statement: "…or the logic of a whore…"

"…" Ky said nothing. He simply crossed his arms and looked away.

"…agh, poor child, mayhap you should have been taken from the breast at an earlier age opposed to fourteen." Ky's face flared in alarm and even more so, his hand unconsciously drifted towards his pistol. "Oh, now that would not be God-Like now would it?" She asked pointing towards his firearm. As he realized just what he was coming close to doing, Ky un-holstered his firearm and approached the counter.

With her blade underneath the countertop, she would sever a hand before he could fire, yet what surprised her was that he slammed the weapon down upon the countertop.

"Fine, just take it!" With that said he left his firearm on the counter and immediately left. With his leave, Raisa immediately got to work. After disassembling select parts of his firearm, Raisa began to operate with the integration of her work with his insufficient weapon.

"_It pays to trigger the weaknesses of others…but…in the end, he will come to appreciate my efforts."_

It took a few hours' time, but far less than she originally assumed, but Raisa was able to change the base firing mechanism, re-forge, and apply her experimental hybrid of lance and double-barrel in order to give him a better edge in battle. After she had finished, she looked and noticed that it had been drawing on into the mid-afternoon.

Knowing he stormed off roughly five hours ago, Raisa knew he would be back in only a matter of time. Hiding the weapon after it had completely cooled, she immediately set out with blade in hand. Of all things, Raisa had yet to eat and seeing that she had completed what she had been working on for near two months, Raisa was in a rare _happy_ mood. Roaming about, she passed by the markets which were somewhat crowded, but none too difficult to navigate and headed on down to the _Svipul_.

Upon entering, music filled her ears. Her nostrils were filled with rum and foreign liqueurs, while her belly clawed at her craving for food. Walking to a free table that was close, she sat herself down against the northern wall of the tavern.

As she sat herself down, she noticed that she was being watched. Not by any drunk but by Nikita. Raisa paid little mind to any other, however with Nikita's watchful eyes, it felt as if daggers were being held at her neck.

"Oi, what'dya fancy love?"

"…_love…?"_ Looking at the woman who stood before her, Raisa ignored the word and asked for her usual choice:

"Any Mutton?"

"Ugh, Mutton? Wouldn't you like something else? Oysters?"

"Oysters…are for the rich. I'll not break purse just to dine as some aristocrat…" Raisa placed her elbows on the table and then interlaced her fingers. "…Mutton and a proper flagon of Limoux..."

"Egh…sure thing…" Turning away, the woman muttered the word _freak_ under her breath and due to the music, conversation, and laughter, Raisa did not hear it.

Listening to the music which had been played, Raisa leaned back in her chair and enjoyed what was playing. Watching the people about the tavern mind their own, some were dancing _jigs. _One woman had her hands upon her hips and was performing short steps towards a group and when she reached them, she span and then took the same form of steps in retreat.

Men cheered and drank as women danced. It was not a bad environment at all. Even with Nikita watching her from a distance, Raisa paid her little mind. One thing she had not expected had been company. As she sat watching people dancing their _jigs_, a voice beckoned her and as she heard her name, she looked in the direction of the speaker.

Seeing the red-haired giant, Raisa smirked as he looked down to her from his perch. He wore deep blue breeches which covered the entirety of his legs and steel toed boots. The clothing, which covered his torso, was a crimson brigadine.

"Gallagher…"

"Ah, you do remember me. Well, mind if I sit ma'am? It is only natural to sit and speak respectfully instead of as we are." His voice was deep but his Irish accent was moderately heavy. Yet, she could say nothing of his accent as her heavy Russian accent made it difficult for few to understand her.

After she cracked a small smirk, Raisa waiving her hand to the man who was taller than most in all of Parousia, sat himself down. Gallagher stood over six feet. Blue eyes and red hair marked him as an easy to spot individual since most in Parousia had blonde, black, or even brown colored hair. Red haired individuals were few amongst the sea of what was common. After situating himself, he looked at the sheathed weapon which was propped next to Raisa and studied it.

"What brings you here?"

"Here?" He repeated while not taking his eyes off the weapon. "Food and ale of course; isn't that why you yourself are here?" He asked with a smile upon his face. Raisa smirked once more, yet she chose not to play cat and mouse:

"Why sit here across from me? Are you…hoping to strike my fancy or whisk me to your home?" Gallagher sat upright after this was asked of him as well as focused eyes of blue on her green, but more importantly his smile had vanished.

"Absolutely not!" He simultaneously slammed his right hand upon the table as she spoke those words which drew little attention. "I only sat here to eat, drink, and talk to a sister in arms, naught more."

The waitress brought a pint of ale and a Goderulffe for Gallagher and the Limoux, a flagon, and a cheap metal chalice for Raisa. Upon her departure, the waitress winked at Gallagher which made him clear his throat and Raisa furrow a brow.

"…as you were saying?" Raisa smirked as she said that. Yet, she hesitated none in pouring wine from flagon to chalice and drinking her Limoux.

"I've nothing to do with that."

Lowering her chalice, Raisa gave him a flat look.

"What?" Waiving her free hand, she said nothing.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Er, well, it isn't an easy thing to ask but…" Raisa slowly swirled the wine about in her chalice whilst watching Gallagher stumble for words.

"…you are sure you are not trying to propose to me, right?" His eyes were agape as she spoke those words. She did her best not to laugh but in the end she laughed either way. This drew more shock from him since he had never saw the woman laugh. After she had settled herself, she stole another swig from her chalice before saying anything else. "If you hesitate in combat, you lose your life, in this case, if you hesitate here, I will keep saying whatever crosses my mind." Once again, she swirled the chalice about within her hand. If it were not for the patrons about the tavern and music, she would most likely be able to hear the wine swirling about.

"Well, it's about Ky." Raisa blinked at his answer. That said, she set her chalice down and once again, interlaced her fingers. This time, her arms were flat against the table as were her palms. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but, he doesn't seem…er…"

"Seem…?" Raisa lightly shook her head wanting to glean more information as to what Gallagher was saying.

"He doesn't seem combat efficient…yet…" Her laugh was stifled, however that did not stop her from leaning back and laughing. "I do not see how you find this funny. This is serious Raisa. If we cannot account for our own, let alone teach them, then how will we survive?"

"First off," Raisa leaned in as she began. "…I know well enough he is not prepared. Secondly, you need not think for the moment that I have not considered life and death and you have idea what it is like to travel on your own and be without aid. As a knight, you always draw on your companion's strength and do you best to survive as a whole. I never had the chance to do so with aid and even if I had requested it years ago, I never would have gotten it. Mind you, this world belongs to men; and I need not remind you how men treat women or would you like to see just how rare a man you are by visiting China or another country where women are beneath your gender and viewed as mere objects or even the sexual object?"

The man sighed as Raisa narrowed her eyes. As Gallagher sat upright within his chair, Raisa discretely pointed at him before adding on to her words.

"I have my time to be serious and I have my rarities where I will laugh and be at ease; but never say I take life and death in stride."

"I understand, and I apologize, but the fact remains, he still needs to train or do something."

"Then what do you propose? To teach him? If that be the case then you can easily do that yourself."

"Er, yes, but no." Again, Raisa gave the man a flat look. "Rather, you teach him?" Once more, she leaned back in her chair.

"Really…?" Crossing her arms, she looked to her left and saw the waitress was bringing over what looked to be Mutton meat.

"Yes, really. After all, you…you've a way with teaching things that people require." Setting her arms upon the table, she balled her right fist and placed it into her left palm. Additionally, she rested her chin upon her left hand.

"…I do not teach children who will not learn."

"I understand that," He began as he lifted her arm, signaling for service. "…but if he doesn't learn, that will be a child who'll die out their come 'morrow."

"Morrow…as in tomorrow?" Her eyes were fixated on him at this point.

"According to Arrai, she gauges Dalkia's arrival just after dawn…"

"D-dawn?" The two of them looked to the waitress who stood before them, frozen in place. "D-d-dawn? Dalkia comes, at dawn?"

It took no time for another waitress to come back and lend her aid. After lowering the tray and assorted sauces for Gallagher and Raisa, she helped walk her friend away from their table.

"Ah…damn…should have chosen my words more carefully." Gallagher looked at the pair as they passed several people while Raisa shrugged and paid them no further mind.

"Arrai? Who is that?"

"You don't know her?" Raisa made a small gesture by shrugging to show that she knew naught of her. "Heh, how do you fancy that; one rising star or legend knows nothing of the other…hah!" Raisa's facial expression resumed a flatness. "All right, all right; if you've ever seen a woman roaming about that's swarthy in skin and pallor atop the head, then that's Arrai." Raisa furrowed a brow.

"That is it?"

"That's all you need to know. Well, she's about your height and has two er, slashes? I think they're slashes, else they be cuts, but they're running from her brows down each eye to each cheek."

"Hmm…"

"If I heard right, I think she's Egyptian?"

"Egyptian…? Well, that is certainly interesting."

"You're preaching to the choir."

"Choir? You? In one of those little dresses?" She jeered.

"Ahh, really?" Raisa smirked as she prepared to bring her chalice to her lips once more, however, Gallagher had more to say. "Or is it your eyes that want to see just that or much less clothing to sate your curiosity?" Her smirk instantly vanished and once it did, Gallagher pointed at Raisa. "Hah!" From her peripheral, Raisa pointed to their left and as Gallagher looked, he grimaced at the waitress whom had been making gestures at him with her mouth.

The woman was staring at him as he looked at her and in this lock of eyes; she ran her finger down her bodice and purposely began to tug on the strings.

"…I think your tavern wench wants to gag on what she cannot swallow." Gallagher eyed Raisa and said absolutely nothing. Instead he turned to face her and rested an arm upon the table.

"All right, seriously, how are we going to fend them off without you, Meiga, and Ky?" Raisa nearly spit her food from her mouth due to her stifled laughter. After a second, she gave him an answer:

"Meiga? The one whom robbed a wee kitten o' its hind legs due to his failure to aim? That same man who can hardly run before giving in to fatigue? Hah!" The man closed his eyes and thought of his next words carefully.

"…if this isn't taken seriously Raisa, things may not bode well for the country as a whole. Do you understand just how important that is?" Despite his answer, she gently pushed the flagon of wine towards him and told him to _'drink'_. As he took hold of his Goderulffe, he began to pour from the flagon so that he could avoid drinking from the flagon itself. Raisa said nothing as she realized that Gallagher had mixed his ale along with the Limoux. After all, the waitress brought him not only his preferred poison but also a tall glass which he normally drank from whenever he was here.

"I am very serious when I need to be but on occasion I prefer to enjoy myself every now and then." She hesitated in speech when she saw the man take his glass to mouth. "…but, as all things, when I need to cast my calm aside, I will do just that; but for now, how do you like the wine?"

"It is…flavorful." Raisa smirked as she placed a piece of cooked Mutton in her mouth. "What is it?" He now asked as he took a second tasting of his mixed drink.

"Limoux." She responded.

"Limoux? The abbey wine?" Raisa nodded as she drank. "You know that the Mauzac is the kind of grape which goes into this wine right; or even better, that the monks of _St. Hilaire_ are the ones who came about its make?"

"Oh? Well aren't we all learned of the world?" Resting the flagon upon the table, Raisa looked at Gallagher who now had his arm slightly outstretched.

"Learned? Ah, somewhat. I'm not sure on its year but that's why I say somewhat; I'll not say I know everything on it unless I do."

"…1531 Gallagher." The man blinked and stared at Raisa for a second.

"I didn't know that. Heh, and you say I'm learned?" Taking his drink to his lips once more, Raisa downed the last of her Mutton before taking her flagon in her hand once more. "Come to think on it," He began after he set his glass down. "…why Mutton?" After swallowing her food, she cleared her throat as she began to pour wine from the flagon.

"…because they do not have _**Pelmeni**_."

"Pelmeni?" Before she answered him, Raisa took her chalice to her lips once more. In doing such, she quickly looked across the tavern to see if the woman was staring at her. As she drank, she eyed the woman. She was still watching her but Raisa knew not why nor did she care. She could have mistaken her for Raiko and is placing a bet or something of the like yet, just as that thought entered her mind…

"How do you fancy your wine," Raisa instantly lost her earlier demeanor as the voice entered her ears. "…freshly uncorked, or…with a blend of the Orient?" Closing her eyes, Gallagher noticed her change in temperament almost immediately.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh no, no, no, not here, place your hands _**here**_." Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Gallagher was able to identify Raiko without even trying to search for her. Raiko was sitting in the lap of none other than Aeneas. Both were dressed as civilians and Raiko was dressed in a foreign fashion.

"…what…is she wearing?" After he turned back around, he called to Raisa whom did her best to hide her agitation.

"Lily Feet and what looks to be a hybrid of Pareo and…a Bodice."

"Lily Feet…?" Raisa opened her eyes to that; Gallagher could see that she was slightly annoyed. Sliding her left foot from under the table, she leaned back a bit and told him to look at her left foot. In doing so, he saw that her foot was clean, not so much as a speck of filth upon them. Not even the nails of her toes bore dirt or any foreign material.

"In China, it is customary to bind one's feet for the sake of beauty. Now by looking at my foot, you can look at hers and tell who has actually bound their feet." Turning and looking over his shoulder once more, he was able to see Raiko's feet, but as he paid attention to the size of her feet, he then understood what Raisa had meant. "I found binding my feet to be painful, thus I chose not to do so ever again."

An eruption of laughter coming from behind Gallagher caused him to stammer with his speech. Shaking his head, he continued:

"W—wait, you're from China?" Eyeing the man, she shook her head.

"No. My mother was Chinese. My father was Russian. I know of the custom from my mother."

"Oh…" I did not take much for him to piece together the words she spoke and how they were used. "I'm sorry for you loss…on both accounts." Raisa blinked as she slowly slid her foot back under the table to avoid tripping a waitress which had just passed her by.

"Mm…"

"Well, still, back to the subject at hand, how can you ensure Ky will be ready?" Raisa said nothing at first as she simply closed her eyes for a moment to think. "It is not where I cannot teach him but, seeing that you both wield weaponry which are nearly identical or else, similar…"

"I will handle it at my own pace since you word things such as that." Raising her hand, Raisa had caught the attention of the waitress which had been eying Gallagher and watched as the woman made her way over to the pair.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Gallagher did his best to hide his cringe, yet, Raisa noticed it right away. Leaving coin upon the table, she quickly counted the coin for the food and after seeing that it was right, she prepared to stand.

"That covers the food," Getting to her feet, she took hold of her beloved weapon before adding on to her words. "…he can cover the wine…and there's a little extra there so that you two can enjoy your own _fine wine_ elsewhere." Gallagher immediately sat upright and stared at Raisa who in turn returned and innocently devilish smile to them both.

"Ugh, at least think of what we spoke of Raisa!" The waitress looked from Gallagher to Raisa. Turning her back to him, she raised her right hand in a lazy waive.

A second uproar of laughter had struck her ears and Raiko's laughter was at the pinnacle of it. Seeing that this uproar was louder than the last, hat told Raisa that her younger sister had drawn a crowd and the crowd is nothing she needed to stick around for.

* * *

><p>Heading back to the <em>Shoppe<em>, Raisa paid attention to the scent in the air. It smelled heavenly and it is also something which she loved.

"…_of all days for it to rain…"_

Continuing on, she waded through the people of the Parousian Markets whom were packed tightly into every stall, from fruit to dried fish to rice. Seeing that trade was coming to a close with Dalkia, the people were getting all they could get and with this known, the stalls easily overpriced their merchandise.

This is why she chose to eat at the _Svipul_. It was cheaper, more filling, and it would not slash the organ of her purse.

Yet as for Gallagher, he was absolutely right. Gallagher could try to teach Ky himself, but he wields a vastly different weapon and even more so, they fight completely different and even their tools and additional weaponry were cultures apart.

After listening to thunder roll overhead once more, Raisa knew what she would do.

* * *

><p>Sitting and looking out the window, Ky had been doing not much at all during the day. He merely ambled about the <em>Shoppe<em> doing little of anything. He had given Raisa his firearm out of frustration and he had also tried to find it but to no avail. Now after a time of looking, he simply sat down and watched people roam the city. That is until he saw Raisa pass him on her way into the _Shoppe_. Hopping to his feet, he quickly made his way to his room only for Raisa to call him.

Much to his surprise, she asked him for his company. He hesitated for a second, however, he thought she may just want to walk and talk. Seeing that that could be the case, Ky slipped on his cloth sock and leather boots. He already had on a short-sleeved gambeson of a deep red. Leaving his room, he quickly caught up to Raisa outside.

After she locked the _Shoppe_ door, she bade him to follow her. So he did.

They walked from the _Shoppe_ up to the very same hilltop which Ky had gone to think a few days past, the only difference is that they travelled a bit farther. From here, she could see land and nothing but lush trees slowly turning colors and as the wind lowered to the ground, the small torrent of reds, yellows, and sparse greens danced about the blades of grass as if in orchestra.

As she stopped near a singular tree, she looked over her shoulder and saw that Ky had nothing but a dagger with him. He was ill-prepared, a fool's safety to be honest. As she placed a hand above her blade, she waited for him to come closer so that he would be caught off guard.

"_Let us see what you know…"_

Closing in on Raisa, Ky noticed that she had stopped, but he knew not why. Thinking that she may have spotted something, he came up upon her right side and prepared to ask her what was wron but that proved to be a mistake.

"Is there something out there?" When she did not answer, he now her another question. "Why are we out here when it's about to rain soon and SHI—"

Falling to the ground, Ky immediately propelled himself away from Raisa and landed on his feet. Coming to a skidding halt, he looked at the Russian before him. Her arm extended with blade in hand was the cause of his hasty evasive maneuver as well as his near profanity.

"W-w-what are you doing?!"

Slowly returning to a neutral stance, Raisa sheathed her blade and ever-so-slowly, began to advance upon Kusanagi.

"What do you think war holds Ky?"

"H—huh…?"

"Need I repeat myself?" Taking two more steps, he instinctively backed away from her. "You're already running when you've a dagger on you…or, had…"

Running a hand down his left thigh, he felt nothing. Visibly looking to see if he is missing its grip, he paid no mind to Raisa.

"Never," Ky's eyes widened as she spoke. "Drop," Looking up to Raisa his eyes were agape as he realized that she had closed the distance between them in less than five seconds. "…Your guard!" Springing to his feet, Ky propelled himself towards his left and then repeated this in order to effectively switch sides with Raisa.

"Too slow…"

He knew not what it was, but something wrapped around his legs and with that feeling, its grip intensified.

His scream was high-pitched; bordering that of a pubescent girl. Falling to the ground, his face slammed to the ground—effectively bursting his bottom lip—Raisa twirled the chain around her arm and began to reel her prey back to her.

Hands clawing at the dirt, legs immobilized by a hidden weapon, Ky struggled his best to break free yet, oft as not, any individual's best is rarely enough.

Dragging her quarry over to a nearby tree, Raisa took hold of Ky's jacket and then propped him upright against the tree's trunk. Without hesitation, he panicked and attempted to flee, however:

"…stay…"

In that instant, Raisa's foot slammed into his chest, effectively pinning him and stripping any breath from him he once had. To her ears, it sounded almost as if he had been choking, yet she of all people knew better. He had never faced true opposition, one whom would imprison him and cease none in their interrogation. Even if he truly knew nothing, it mattered none, he would be beaten and Raisa knew well enough from logic alone that if Ky were of her gender, the warmth his body would provide would be enough for any abuser…if only for a few moments.

Despite the request to educate him, she felt at odds with doing such. She knew he was not prepared for such a world that will show no mercy nor one which would bear no fruit so twisted that you could even deem any on either side human. His mind still believed in the "good" of every person when not in every person is any form of good. Yet, of all things, Raisa now stood out here with her bare foot to this youth's chest trying to teach him that _an_ _enemy will never hesitate;_ and to teach him this at the outset of a storm no less.

Lowering her leg, she studied him to see what he would do next. As his legs were bound, he was unable to run, evade, leap, or use any special maneuvers as she has heard others speak of. Ultimately, she had severed his main form of combat—his base strategy.

"…no one stratagem will suffice for all things…"

Despite him gasping for air, she knew he had heard her words; she also knew by his posture that he was slowly beginning to try and escape. That said; she loosened the bind of her Shéng Biāo and once the chain fallen out of coil, he attempted to flee by rushing to her right.

His movements were slow: placing his hands against the tree to propel himself. Bringing his feet to the tree's base and lastly rising into a hunched position. Raisa easily rammed his chest with the tsuka of her blade and this alone deterred him. As he staggered forward, she brought a swift knee to his stomach and with the resulting force and her strength; she held his spent body by her knee alone.

"…moving that slow is just as terrible as finishing too fast…and that will even piss Raiko off…"

Lowering her leg, Ky's trembling body fell to its knee only for her to kick him back to the trunk of the tree. As he raised his arm, she once again slammed her bare foot to his chest—immediately ceasing any attempt to retreat.

Looking down to this pitiable youth, she paid no heed to the leaves or twigs which fell around them nor did she care for the twigs which had hit her one their way down to the dirt ground. Raisa was only focused on breaking this infallible belief that _everything will be okay_. Yet once again, as she loosened her bind, he attempted to flee. This time she allowed her arm to cross her body and as such, the once silent chain, rattled with life and instantly seized the Japanese by his arms. To maximize on this, Raisa planted the same foot to his stomach and then after she reared back, she drove that same foot to his chest; effectively silencing any attempt at running as well as retaliation.

"…running is forbidden…"

Yanking the chain, Ky released a weak yelp in pain as his upper body was being pulled towards Raisa while Raisa was firmly pinning him against the tree behind him. Despite the pain, he still struggled to free his arms, she jerked her arm—tightening the chain which bound his wrists—and as he was pulled forward, she lowered her foot only to re-plant it in his chest; not only pinning him once more but also re-establishing her dominance over the situation.

"…Pay attention."

He ignored her words and continued to struggle yet that soon ended his struggle as Raisa pointed the muzzle of _Heartless_ at his forehead. For a second, his face was that of a frightened child, but that facial expression quickly twisted into one of anger.

"..tch, s'that it? Just a shot to the head…?"

She stared at him for a moment. His pattern of speech had changed and in addition to that, by his words and his tone, he was masking his fear with false strength. A curious thing for one whom oft appeared to be meek, even docile at times, but looking at this from a different angle, he most likely viewed this as if he were backed into a corner. By all technicalities, this was somewhat true, yet even if they fought honestly, she has more combat experience than he does.

Raisa even doubts if he truly had to ever fight for his life. She did not count the situation for which they first met whatsoever since they were together; to be precise, Raisa doubts he has ever fought for his own life without the aid of another. As he oft explained his travels, Raisa noticed that he was only by himself for very short instances while he sought safety in numbers.

There was nothing wrong with that at all. Yet if he is unable to rely on another in the times to come, then what will he do? Who can or even will he turn to? This was what Raisa wanted him to realize: that no one within the real world will give you a helping hand simply because he is kind or generous. People will rob you if they can and if you are too powerful an individual or if you cross the wrong side of the road, you _will_ be killed—whether it be for your gold or perhaps any other belongings.

Ky watched as the muzzle of the firearm drifted ever so slowly off target until _Heartless_ was aimed at the ground. He thought she would release him yet, he was wrong. Without a second's delay, Raisa fired the firearm whilst it being only a few inches away from Ky's face.

His reaction was an expected one; pulling away from the sound that is. Despite his efforts, he was unable to move far. With the second shot was fired and directly after was the third, it was at the time which the third was fired that he was able to gain a small amount of headway only for Raisa to once again drive her bare heel into his chest. The force was much greater than the earlier strikes and with him being pinned once more, the force of the blow caused his head to swing back and slam into the tree behind him.

From his head throbbing from the explosive sounds of the firearm at such a close range to his head striking this tree, a slight state of disorientation took hold of him. As a result, he heard the fourth and fifth shots but they sounded as if they were one; and as the sixth was fired, he tried to escape once more: forcibly rising unto one knee and was actually able to push Raisa back via a light shoulder bash, however, she struck him once more—this time, it was a second knee to his stomach yet unlike the first knee strike; with the angle that she had struck him from, his ribs took a portion of the impact.

Falling to the ground, bloodied hands and wrists ensnared by chain, Raisa _changed order_. Her right hand now held her blade, _Sapphire_, while her left gripped her second revolver, _Vindicate_.

After being struck by her latest blow, he lay on his left side gasping for air. Raisa knew well enough the pain he was feeling but she also knew that it had been much more intense for him. He was cradled and barely able to take a fist to the face—let alone a knee to the stomach. For the last leg of her lesson, Raisa closed her distance until she was standing directly over him. As he lay before her with his chest to the nails of her toe, Raisa slipped a foot from her sandal and balled her toes—this made them crack and pop as her bones weakly replied to the action.

With this same bare foot, Raisa raised her leg and just as Ky opened his eyes, she firmly planted it against the side of his face. Dirt puffed from the ground as a result while he simultaneously groaned from the pain.

Looking to his abuser, he could see not only the nails of her toes, but he could also see her face. He thought there to be a smile of some sort, however; there was no such thing. Only a frown was present; a frown which was almost based as if she were disappointed with something. Noticing his gaze, Raisa, ever-so-slowly, leaned in. By doing this, she was increasing the pressure which was forced upon him and effectively pressing more of her weight upon his skull. It was to the point that his cheek had formed a small bulge and his ability to speak clearly was fractured to that of what one could consider incoherent mutterings.

"It is out of folly you will learn…" In her silence, she aimed for him once more. "…your kind and gentle nature will earn you no allies while at war—they will only slash your neck until you've bled your last."

Again, she drifted slightly off target and fired. The ear-piercing sound was enough to make him scream. As he writhed about, trying to force some leverage in his favor, Raisa quickly raised her leg and slammed her heel into his ribs which cause an immediate flail to be followed by a cease in all else save for breathing. After seeing that he was once again, spent, she placed her foot back upon his face.

"Do you honestly think humanity will spare you? Your warm heart to lick their wounds and …_pray_ to a deity which damns those for caring naught of him while going against its vow to love all human kind?"

Slowly sliding her bare foot down his face, a slick trail of dirt and sweat were left upon his face as she drug her foot across it. As her foot reached his ribs once more she stopped and instead of moving once more, she leaned down upon him; purposely wedging her heel 'tween his ribs.

"Aagh, s-sss-stop…!"

His pleas were futile.

"As a Dalkian soldier, why should I? You are my enemy and as my enemy I am to violate of you, torture you for information, break your will, and in the end, kill you if you are not wanted by any. Just as a man would do to a woman…"

Ky winced as she wedged her heel deeper into his ribcage. Gnashing his teeth, he looked at her once more. He was sure of her to be smiling yet, her face still held a dour expression; almost as if she had been finding no form of joy in what she had been doing.

"No one will show mercy to you in the real world, and the sooner you learn that, the closer you will be to surviving what is coming."

After this was said, Raisa lifted her foot and as such, she casually slipped her footwear back on whilst freeing Ky from his bonds with a mere flick of her wrist. It was after she sheathed the Shéng Biāo that he had been attempting to get to his feet.

Standing once more, she looked him over as he slowly got to his feet. His hands were bleeding and his eyes, those light brown eyes of his held confusion yet that confusion is masked by anger. Without a word, she turned away from him and began to leave. As she took her fifth step she came to an immediate half as she heard what could only be him collapsing behind her caught her ears.

"…fucking kidding me…"

Turning to where her right torso was facing his direction, she looked on as he struggle to get back on to his feet. His hands, freshly bloodstained, shook from the throbbing as well as the unnerving tingling chill due to numbness. His breathing was labored and with each attempt to push himself upwards, he merely slipped back down into the dirt face first.

Watching him play in the dirt, Raisa moved not an inch. Instead, she watched. Dour her expression was yet; a certain resignation was about her as she watched the youth struggle to simply stand. She slowly blinked as he fell to the dirt ground once more and not even a second after that, she looked to the sky as thunder danced above the clouds.

Raisa looked back down to Ky, whom had tried once more and was able to hold himself upright for a few seconds, alas, he fell yet again.

"Can you walk?"

A simple three-worded question it was. To digress, he could barely mutter a word. His ribs ached and his wrists stung while his hands were numbingly cold. These ailments combined had robbed him of the ability to speak but somehow:

"…y-yea…h…"

He was able to mutter that which was barely audible. Thunder rolled once more as Raisa turned to face him. Her arms were crossed and _Sapphire_ within its tsuka which was firmly within the grip of her right hand.

"Then fucking walk…"

Pushing himself up once more, he grunted as his ribs disagreed with his current actions. As a result, he fell down once more. Turning away once more, Raisa advanced towards the archway while Ky continued to struggle.

"..c—c'mon…you…can get up…"

Again, he collapsed. Clouds of dirt puffed from his fall; looking up to see where Raisa had gone, he had spotted her. She was leaning against the wall of the archway with her arms crossed and her sheathed blade in her right hand. She watched him without saying a word and even as the rain had begun to fall, she simply stood in place without much a care to anything else.

"A—are you gonna help me…?"

His voice was light and his hair now hung loosely over her face. Blood poured from his bottom lip and with his constant falling, blood had smeared with dirt upon his jowl and nose. His lip was covered in a few specks of bloodied mud as well, yet as he had asked that question, Raisa merely shrugged.

"In a war like state, why should I lend aid to my enemy?"

Lowering his head, Ky grimaced at her words, yet she made a small bargain with him:

"If you can make it here, by any means, I will help you. After all, you crawling through the streets is sad enough… "

Insult to injury it was. Though, he would take that bargain if he could be aided in some fashion, however…

"H—how do I know…" Ky hesitated as he took another deep breath before speaking. "…how do I—I know you won't trick me?"

A smirk wrote itself upon her lips.

"You don't nor won't."

That is as good as he could get. He was sure of it. With one hand, he slowly began to drag himself across the freshly turned mud. With one hand painstakingly ahead of the other, he continued on, trying to ignore the burning sensations from his chest, ribs, and the throbbing from his head. Dragging himself across the dampening dirt, Ky grunted with each movement he made. His fingers were weak from his wrists being bound and with him having to dig his hands into the earth in order to progress, it only made the pain worse.

"…_I…knew Raisa was strong but a single hit felt like…"_ Ky stopped moving as he tried to regain his breath. _"…it felt like being kicked in the chest by a horse…"_ Lying on his stomach, Ky turned his head to his left and stared at the distance castle. Last he looked at it, he thought of nothing but pain and now as he looks upon it, he literally feels pain which was far worse than being lashed at while being a prisoner.

Inhaling, he noticed that a light chill had begun to spread about him; from his back, to his arms and legs. Additionally, small silver streaks had begun to fall all around him. It was raining. Exhaling, he blinked as a drop of rain fell into his eye and from that point; he simply closed his eyes and ceased to move.

* * *

><p>Sept. 29th<p>

As night had fallen hours ago, Raisa had chosen to remain awake in the early hours of the morning. Not long ago, Raisa had brought Ky back to the _Shoppe_ a complete and utter wreck and had to undress him down to his undergarments.

She was thankful that Ky simply passed out opposed to dying. Quite frankly that would be outright terrible and even worse if a guard had found him. After she laid his heavy blankets over him, she left his room and closed the door. Since then, she had re-entered to check on him every now and then yet after she looked in on him this time, Raisa had come back into the front of the _Shoppe_ and instead of sitting in the stool as she normally does; she chose to stand in front of the counter.

Roughly two hours had passed since then and at this moment; she was more concerned about what was in her hand. Slightly tightening her grip around a flagon; she noticed that it was chilled to the touch but the contents were savory in taste once she drank from it.

"I'm surprised you are even drinking it."

With those words spoken at that precise moment, Raisa tilted the flagon upwards and drank deep. Savory and fruitful this wine was. The last time she had tasted wine such as this had been months ago when she was en route to Parousia. Of course, the bandits who had tried to imprison her did not survive, though she is happy to say that their wine did.

"…"

To her left, was Riese. She was out and about minding her own when she noticed Raisa was still awake and chose to stop by. She had been here for roughly an hour and 'tween them, she drank from the flagon. Handing the flagon back to Riese, Raisa licked the corner of her mouth before asking:

"As you were saying…?" Taking hold of the flagon which was handed to her, Riese shifted her eyes from the flagon to Raisa.

"I could have poisoned it." Raisa lifted her arm and scratched her belly before saying anything further.

"Why would you do such? Have you a grudge or are you the assassin that I think you are to be?" Riese smirked.

"I am no such thing…" As she drank from the flagon, Raisa eyed the woman beside her. She was unmistaken in her label; that much she knew, however, Riese's reflexes and knowledge as well as execution of stealth based combat tell her otherwise when placed against Riese's claim of innocence. Raisa can easily state this fact as Girardot has even complemented on her mastery of the art.

"So you say…" Taking the flagon from her lips, Riese slowly swirled the wine about the flagon as she watched her own hand spin in the small circle.

"Hmph, what of that little trinket of yours you've been slaving away over for the past month? Have you finished that so you could present your _undying love_ and _affection_ to the husband you abused last afternoon?"

"…"

Riese turned her head and looked at Raisa. With an innocent half-cocked smile about her, Riese was not surprised that Raisa had yet to give a response. "Raisa, did you forg—"

"It is already finished and by morn it will be delivered." Without another word, Raisa took the flagon from Riese's hand another swig of her _Limoux_. A fine treat it was and one which Riese had told her could be found at the _Svipul_. With a hand outstretched, Raisa placed the flagon back into Riese's hand. "Love and affection will only get you killed in the end. If not by one who wants your wife, it will be by the very one you have that self-same love and affection for."

"Oh, quit your bitching, a jape is a jape." With that said Riese turned the flagon's bottom skyward and downed the last of the fine wine.

"A terrible jape at that…else you parlay about the darkness with Hell knows how many men…" Riese froze in place as her eye fell upon Raisa via peripheral. All that met her eye in return had been a sly smirk and to that, Riese raised her hand with her knuckles facing Raisa and made a small fist whilst simultaneously straightening her middle finger to a point.

Standing the flagon upon the countertop, Riese returned to a calmer stance and as she leaned against the counter, her arms loosely hung over its edge.

"…Surina thinks we'll crush Dalkia."

"You think we won't?"

"These people…this…" Reise hesitated in speech as she rotated her right hand, as she was thinking of a word to say. Once the word she had mentally searched for reached her, she stopped the movement of her hand and allowed it to simply hang. "…generation has known peace for too long. Knowing the price of battle and its other sacrifices by trials of fire and death are what make one or the masses victorious."

"Mm…" Raisa blinked as she thought of the words which were just spoken.

"She has a thirst for blood." Narrowing her eyes, she then added on to her initial statement. "An unusually thirst at that." Riese nodded once. "Think there's a connection?" Raisa leaned towards her left while looked at Riese as she asked this question.

"Couldn't say; I've only been here for a short few months, same as you."

"…where from?"

"Don't worry your overly affectionate little heart over it." Raisa loosed a breath due to silent laughter. "But, enough with the humor, last I heard, you and Gungnir are heading out the _Eastern Gates_…" Raisa furrowed a brow from this news.

"Really…?"

"I thought you should know since the newborn is napping and your commander lacks the spine to tell you herself." Standing upright, Raisa stepped in front of Riese and stared. Meeting her gaze, Riese could see the anger swelling from within her young friend. "As I said, this generation is numb to peace. Like as not, she cannot get over herself not telling you but wants to spare the hardship of the matter." Raisa scoffed at that excuse.

Turning away and taking a few steps away from Riese, Raisa crossed her arms.

"Chistaya fignya…" Riese could only assume Raisa was aggravated, yet as she did not speak or understand Russian, she asked what she meant:

"Translation…?"

"…pure bullshit…" A light and audible breath escaped Riese upon hearing this.

"…can you blame her?" Raisa said nothing. As she continued to look in the opposing direction, Riese chose to lay her carry case upon the counter. "Come look at this." Heaving an aggravated sigh, Raisa turned and approached the counter. As she reached the counter, she looked to what appeared to be papyrus; yet upon further study, she was able to make it out as a map.

"Look," Pointing to the map, Riese slowly ran her finger over the walls which were of unearthed stone. "Units can guard the top and rain arrows down upon any encroaching foes."

Looking at the area specified, Raisa nodded at the idea.

"Is there an escape route?"

"From up there; sure, but with the open local, it won't be easy leaving anyone's or anything's sight." Lifting her slender finger and then re-positioning it on the map, Riese tapped her finger upon a path. Her finger had been in between two strongholds which were built as look-outs. "_Gungnir_, as I heard is going to be guarding this sector and seeing that it is only four of you, that would mean two and two."

"What of _Exodus_?" Riese hesitated to say anything which caught Raisa's attention. Before Raisa could make a sarcastic comment, Riese answered her.

"We're reared as reinforcements." By her tone, Raisa could tell she was disappointed and upon additional thought, this map was probably drawn by Riese herself. Even more damning had been the thought that Riese desired to be on the front lines and in her stead, she was aiding her allies.

"You mind if I take this?" The elder woman said nothing. Instead, she pushed the map over to Raisa which was permission enough. After she re-attached her carry case to her trousers, Riese made her way to the door and upon opening it, Riese beckoned Raisa to follow her; seeing that nothing was wrong with a late night diversion, Raisa followed her.

* * *

><p>Closing the door behind her, the elder woman began to walk after the Russian had caught up to her. They proceeded to the northwest. As they walked the stone streets, few were out and about. The <em>City Watch<em> was on patrol due to the hour and within a few of the shuttered homes voices could be heard. Odd enough had it been dark but what had been even stranger had been that the two of them were together in the darkness of night. Both of them were attuned to the darkness and despite torches giving off a decent amount of light, it mattered none for to the two of them, the darkness was as clear as daylight; to Riese doubly so when compared to Raisa.

"If we are to be as the claws of a beast, how do you think we will fare?"

Raisa took a moment to ponder an answer. Her thumbs were gripping separate belt loops as she walked and once an answer came to her, she smirked.

"We, personally, can handle ourselves. Others, I cannot account for as I know nothing of how they will act under pressure."

"Then from what you've seen?"

"…Priya…can handle herself well-enough, but that kind heart can only take so much before stopping." Riese nodded yet, with a wave of her hand, she wanted to know more. "Surina is only as strong as she wants to be and even stronger if Priya is in danger. Rather…to harm Priya, would make Surina just as lethal as myself."

"That, I can agree with, but you know as well as I that if her life hangs in the balance, she can be manipulated by that."

"I know…and since you are in her unit, would you kill her or would you let her slay you to protect her sister?" Riese slowed her pace until she stopped. Raisa simply turned around and continued to walk backwards while looking at Riese. "What…? You think I would let her live?"

"As if you would..." Resuming her original pace, she said nothing more on the matter as she caught up with Raisa.

"…of course not, chances are, Priya would have been killed long before the ultimatum was given to Surina."

Silence had temporarily wedged itself in between them as they passed under torchlight. As they passed under it, Riese heard a low _ting_. It was some kind of metal and as she instinctively looked in the sound's direction, she saw that it had come from Raisa's boots. That said, there had been some form of metal withi them, else, she accidentally struck something upon the street.

However, as she looked to Raisa, she paid attention to her clothing: Raisa wore a jacket of a sapphire color. The jacket's trimmings were silver as well as its intricate design. Upon the back was the design of a phoenix, the very same design which lay upon the slab of steel upon a band which she normally dons upon her head. Her legs were covered by trousers of the same color to match the jacket which she wore. Her boots came up to just under her knees and were black with silver décor.

Riese on the other hand had on silver boots and to accompany them had been deep gray trousers and to her waist had been daggers within tempered leather sheathes and a carry case upon her right thigh. Other than that, Riese wore a simple leather tunic while keeping her arms and hands bare.

"I never knew of you to dress fancy for a warrior." Raisa bothered not to even look in her direction, instead, she responded with her own words as if it had been instinct.

"I never knew you to study your gender so carefully as one would whom fancies a man."

Riese lightly scoffed at this; however a smirk had been about her face as she did. In all honesty, when this was set and done, she wanted Raisa to survive. It is a rare thing to find one whom knows nothing of you and you know nothing of them but are able to relate to one another with immense ease.

At times, women claim that their husbands or lovers are just like that, yet Riese does not mean anything along the line either.

"What's bothering you?" Riese looked over to Raisa who had been watching her from her peripheral.

"…tomorrow, or rather, later this day, is the day we set forth into the field. Our lives are in our hands and if we loose our clasps over our lives we die. What did you think would be upon my mind?" As the pair rounded a corner, they had turned into the main street which held the markets.

"Do you truly want to know the answer to that question?"

Again, the elder woman scoffed; however she was unable say anything further.

"Oh? I never thought I'd see you two traipsing about at this hour…" The duo came to a halt at the exact same time. A man, still at his stall, had addressed them both yet each of them had met him in the past. His name was Daniel Rutherford and he worked here in this stall selling herbs and other homemade recipes from plants, mushrooms and other things of the like. One could call him an Apothecary; however, he disliked the title and oft preferred to be known as a simple businessman.

Yet, for all the times Raisa had done dealings with the man, she chose to say nothing while Riese took a step ahead of the Russian.

"Roaming about and speaking is nothing out of order Daniel, or do you think it's odd for on to actually speak to others outside of work for fear of your wife?"

The man placed his hands in front of him and lowering his head to show that he was not being offensive, he then spoke to match his bodily language of neutrality.

"I-I only meant that I didn't think of anyone to be out this late that's all! A-and that has nothing to do with this!"

"…then why are you out this late?"

"I…er…"

"Dallying about to avoid the wife?"

"N—"

"Daniel Rutherford!" Riese and Raisa both looked in the direction of the voice while Daniel himself cowered from the mere sound of it. "…If I have to leave this house…!"

"I think we should go…"

"Aye…"

Following Riese, Raisa paid little attention to the two whom were bickering over a distance. With the yelling, it attracted the attention of two guards whom quickly made their way over to Daniel.

After progressing out of sight but not out of earshot of the market's stalls, Riese slowed her pace until she came to a halt. Noticing this, Raisa also stopped.

They had arrived at the _Fountain Square_. Water sprouted from the stone figure in a most beautiful fashion. The fountain held seven steps which were in the fashion of a circle on all sides. The centerpiece of the fountain was encircled by four lions which all stood proudly with their fangs bore to the world as if they were roaring. The actual centerpiece itself was a large and open spout which water flowed over its rim.

It took not long for the pair to sit upon the steps of the fountain and it was in silence for which they sat as they both watched the city as it slept. A slow wind crept through the streets and alleyways as if it were doing its best not to be noticed. Aside from a few guards passing them by and even fewer greeting them in some fashion, there was naught else. Calming waters were the only thing which the two of them heard.

"This you see will soon be a memory."

Raisa eyed the woman whom sat to her right. By the sound of her tone, she sounded slightly saddened by her words.

"I honestly am not sure Grandall will hold given the fact that it has been numbed by peace for so long. Above that, we're up against one of our allies."

Raisa said nothing; instead she nodded while she looked to the sky while Riese continued to speak:

"Have you ever wondered what it's like to be at war? The cost of men and blood? The sacrifice one must give in order to protect another?" She asked this due to Raisa's silence.

Blinking, Raisa, again said nothing. She was more so focused on the lingering scent of rain in the air from earlier that day and partly lost in the tranquility of that scent.

"I suppose not. Yet, you're young…and you'll see."

"You are not much older."

"Hmph, perhaps not, but experience will age you farther than anything else; not years, or joy, but experience."

Leaning back against the stone of the fountain, Raisa cared none for the droplets of water which pattered against her skin. It was relaxing to her. Closing her eyes, a small smirk wrote itself upon her lips.

"…I must be an old hag then…"

"Ha, you're not alone in that office."

Moments of silence dragged as Riese watched the leaves twirl about along with the wind. Raisa had remained in the same position ever since leaning herself back.

"I've thought much of the terms of war," Riese looked over her shoulder at Raisa as she randomly had chosen to speak. "…war is nothing but the disparity of two men who can't manage their wives abed that take their frustrations out on the world."

Riese's stifled laughter caught the Russians ears. Yet, even she herself smirked at her own jest.

"On a seriousness, war is the base of human function; we fight, maim, kill, feed, and repeat a never-ending process in the name of justice and liberty in order to protect ourselves—even if we were never attacked to begin with."

"…what a depressing thought…"

"Depressing? How so?"

"You speak of baseness like that is all humanity knows. If that is all humanity knows then what will happen if there are no wars? Will humanity rot or achieve a utopia of bliss?" Raisa opened her eyes and stared at Riese. "Of course…I speak of the impossible."

"Yes…yes you do."

"Wishful thinking it is, nothing more."

"I noticed."

"Noticed? Then what say you of utopia itself? We both know it can never become a reality, yet a hollow echo as a hope is all it is."

"Utopia would mean all people are stupefied to think the exact same thing and perform the same actions while being stripped of their individuality."

Riese said not a word as she stared at Raisa. That is until Raisa asked her of her thoughts on the matter.

"A utopia is nothing but a dream and dreams are as fragile as ill-tempered glass when it is exposed to heat, rather life and reality, far greater than it can handle. But without comparing it to an object, there will always be one who will hate the current of their life and with that current comes the choice to speak out of what they hate. Once others hear this, they too will view their own lives and if they are unsatisfied with the current of their lives, you've now _public unrest_. What works for the individual can rarely satisfy the whole."

"Mm."

"Public unrest will lead to the destruction of the false salvation known as utopia and just as the glass was once poured and filled, it shall easily shatter and return all to the dust from whence it came…"

Silence once again hung over them after Riese had spoken those words. A guard had stopped and listened to the words which she spoke yet after her speech of wine and utopia, the guard left. What Riese had not expected was for Raisa to stand; after she stood she dusted her trousers off and walked down the seven steps of the fountain.

"Something wrong?"

That said, Raisa stopped a few feet in front of Riese, whom was still sitting at the fountain.

"…the glass will shatter and return us all to dust… and you say my word's depressing? Heh."

Riese stood and advanced towards Raisa whom waited until Riese came to her side. The two slowly made their way back to the markets only to find it to be completely abandoned. From there, the walk back to the _Shoppe_ was silent. A few guards looked in their direction but upon seeing them, none chose to say anything for knowledge of who they were.

After a short time, the two reached their destination. With a waive, Raisa bid her ally the night while she simultaneously reached for the knob of the door.

"Just remember," Raisa looked over her shoulder as she twists the doorknob. "…the shadows are not always shrouded by _darkness_." Pushing open the door, Raisa did not even turn to look at her for Raisa already knew that Riese had vanished.

After setting foot back into her current dwelling and closing the door, she proceeded to lock it and after that, she turned her back and then leaned against the door itself. Her arms crossed and her right heel up against the door, she wondered:

"…_hell's that mean…?"_

* * *

><p>Sept. 30th<p>

Dawn had come. With the morning rays slowly penetrating the glass windows, Raisa's eyes quickly found themselves upon Ky's door. Ky was late. It was like him to be tardy yet, at the same time, she could understand this tardiness. He was raised differently than she was and as he more than likely was not upon a strict regimen as she was; but with that said, what drew her attention to his door had been the fact that within these walls, it had been silent. The small sound of the floors creaking told her that he was awake.

"…it is a miracle…" Her voice was low and dry. With her jest falling to no ears save her own, she wondered if the group outside had been the cause of him to arise from bed so early. Yet, if that be the case it mattered none. There was very little if anything to do and seeing that the military had marched its soldiers around early in the morning, it told her that her foresight would soon be proven true; much sooner than she had anticipated.

Shrugging the idea off whilst making a throaty dismissive sound, Raisa continued reading the small book she held within her grasp. It was one which belonged to her and one she would literally kill over if it fell into anyone's hand other than her own.

Her hair was tied into a ponytail and all she wore had been a black long-sleeved brigadine of her own make along with jodhpurs, a belt, and loose straw sandals. She had been awake ever since she had returned from roaming about the city during the night and with that, she chose to stay awake. This is one reason why Raisa was being unusually silent; she was tired. Normally she would wake Ky to run errands or help her around the _Shoppe_ but instead of that, she had been reading a book of some sort.

As he ever-so-slowly made his way out of his room, he walked hoping not to get her attention; yet, as he took his fourth step—

"A failure to avoid detection and attention will get you killed in combat."

Freezing with those words said to him, she bothered not to even look in his direction. It seemed whatever it was that she had been reading was far more important than he was at the moment; though, he knew that by some odd chance that he would unintentionally draw her ire later in the day. Of course, after her lesson the other day, he wanted nothing of the sort.

Holding his side, Ky advanced to the window so that he could look and see what was going on. A few people were out and about yet a small group of men and what appeared to be a single woman, were talking, laughing, and joking. They were loud enough to wake him up for one; secondly, he was annoyed he could do absolutely nothing against Raisa.

He understood what she was trying to tell him but he simply could not write everyone off as cruel. That would be inhuman in his mind.

As he looked out the window, he heard something be set upon the countertop behind him however, he paid it no mind until Raisa called him.

"I took the liberty of completing it ahead of time." Pointing to the object, he slowly turned and approached the counter and once he was close enough, he instantly knew what it was.

"H—how did you…"

"I began work on it weeks afore the border and simply took few things from here and there…" With the way she worded it, he took it as she did not feel like explaining the details. Yet that said, she began work on the outer look and once she took possession of his original pistol, she further developed it.

As he looked at the firearm, he could only marvel at the craftsmanship. The white material which was smooth to the touch added on to the brilliance of this piece.

"It was not simple, but the muzzle was originally as bright in color as _Sapphire_, after trial and error, I learned to alter it to mirror your pistol. That said, I also disassembled your pistol and integrated most of what could be used into _your_ revolver; that way it is mostly of your own make but revisited in fashions that are needed for improvement."

Despite loosely explaining her designs, he was nonetheless astonished. He now knew what she had been toiling away for days on end and even for the fact as to why she kept what she had been doing a secret.

"You will need this also…"

Pointing to the leather belt before her, she continued:

"…the belt has twelve small stores of powder. _The Twelve Apostles_ most deem them. You can easily load your revolver by keeping them with you and filled."

Looking up from his gift, he recalled something which was obvious to any who have seen Raisa's firearms.

"It's different from yours…"

Closing the small book which she had been reading, she closed her eyes as she set it down upon the counter.

"Be original; never an imitation."

That said, he looked down to the firearm once more. It was heavier than before but that was to be expected but most importantly had been the fact that she preserved the initials upon the grip:

Translated, the symbols were of his father's and mother's initials. These were side by side while his own initials were just underneath theirs. He knew not if Raisa could read or even speak Japanese yet, for her to preserve something which they both had helped him make was beyond thoughtful.

"You do not have to worry of wet powder as often and you can fire five times before having to reload."

Seeing that he was merely looking at his firearm, she doubted that he had been paying much attention. Pushing herself up and away from the stool she was once sitting on, Ky heard her bones produce popping noises and with those noises, he guess that she had not moved from that seat in hours.

"…as I am in need of sleep, good morning and fuck the night…"

Raising a brow to what she had said, Raisa slowly made her way around the counter opposed to leaping over it, and then ascended the steps against the far wall. He wondered what she had meant by her words until it finally clicked:

Cursing the night, as she had used it suggests that she had not slept and that she slaved away upon the hybrid which he now held until possibly an hour or two ago as it was barely daylight itself. Yet, more importantly, as he has known her, since when does Raisa say _'good morning'_, lest it be some terrible jape such as _'good mourning'_?

"_Wait..d—did she stay up all night finishing this?"_

Looking at his firearm, he now felt slightly saddened. Despite the trouncing he had taken from her, she had a lesson behind it and that lesson held a base meaning. This meaning was to harden him against the coming war and as she had continuously stressed, he was ill-prepared for the conflict. His eyes were fixated on the steps which Raisa had ascended well over ten minutes ago only to linger there a while longer.

She was trying to educate him in something which was foreign to him and despite his rage and anger; she never once placed him in true danger. Pain yes; but true life-threatening danger? As far as Ky could comprehend, the answer was no.

Honestly, he was lost for words. A gift such as this and clearly taking note of every detail was something that no regular Parousian smith would have done. Most simply place this and that and call it a day and then demand their pay. Raisa on the other hand took time to craft it just right and possibly, quite possibly, she had studied the look and feel of the pistol before she had begun any form of work on it.

"…that'd explain why she hid those drawings…"

The works which she drew were of the make if the firearm he now held in his hand. Not of hers. He could not say that with full confidence as he has witnessed her working on her own weapons, but that would not explain why she would hide them from him; let alone from Priya.

Looking at his firearm one more and then back to the steps he tightened his hold on his firearm before muttering the words:

"…thank you…"

After he had said that, Ky made his way back to his room. His side and chest were still in slight pain and he did not want to push anything. Thus for the rest of the day, he chose to rest, just as Raisa had stated she would do.

* * *

><p>Oct. 1st<p>

She dreamed of her father the night before this day. He was strong. Capable of killing twenty men alone and surviving the night in the harsh cold of the _Halteese Republic_. Of all things of him to succumb to, it was only infection. After his wounds were tended to, the infection is what killed him and soon after that, grief had taken her mother from the reality that she could not save him in his true time of need.

Strong-willed he was. One whom knew not defeat till that fateful day then too, her mother learned of such later that night albeit in a different form. Defeat of the heart it was. In her slumber, she slowly faded it was said. Though at her age, she knew naught as it was explained to her by a young and powerful Surina.

Despite the tears which Priya shed, Surina refused to cry. She held her stern being, that self-same being which their father mustered; yet it held compassion enough to console her so that she would at least find strength in something. Even to this day Surina exudes that innate strength and rarely does it ever falter in course. This attitude even spills over into her personality which makes her _rough around the edges_ as some say she is—yet those same individuals retained both their parents and lived a relatively peaceful life knowing naught of death or that of one close to them being taken away—especially at a young age.

In Priya's case: The tender age of _eight_.

Her eyes opened to the darkness of her bedroom. Naught had been about and naught had stood out. Within the darkness, she reached to her right and slowly twined her lantern to ignite and as it did, the armor of this morning darkness was soon rent. Observing her surroundings, she looked first to the flowers which were arranged about her nightstand. These were handpicked by Priya herself and arranged by no other. They lay in a small rectangular bowl which held a small store of water and when the rays of the sun were to penetrate her quarters, these flowers were able to be fully drenched within those same rays of light.

She blinked as a light breeze caressed her upper body. Despite how welcomed this breeze was, she did not take her eyes from her quarry; however, as she stared at the flowers for a few seconds longer, her mind began to wander.

"_Her sacrifice is as strength to what moves one through life but…"_

Ignoring the chill this slow breeze brought, Priya had sat upright, she cared none as the sheets fell from her upper body and down to her waist. Her hair was undone and as what most would deem "unfit for the public eye" hung loose nearly covering her face from all sides save the front. The curls were natural and even more so, they were beautiful as most a man would deem them. Yet, Priya was seen mostly as a housewife opposed to a Commander. This she knew despite how she feigned ignorance to the fact.

In all honesty, she wanted to be respected, not for her fair looks or her feminine physique, but for her strength and for what she was capable of by her actions and her valor. Not her beauty or her body.

Placing a hand upon her left breast, she could feel a tensing about it. This day was one she would never forget as she knew well-enough what was to come. Priya, or rather _Gungnir_, her paradigm, was ordered to proceed to the border by 1100 hours. Despite knowing full-well that her paradigm was to be placed upon the front lines, she also knew that her paradigm knew naught of this order. For all intents and purposes, she wanted to spare the three of them of this news but in the end, there was no possible way around it.

Upon this, she was mentally exhausted from worry and self-doubt as she continually questioned her own capability to lead them once they were afield. Despite being goaded that she _would do fine_ or _it'll all work out_, the tenseness about her breast, that utter disquiet has not ceased in its rampage of not only her heart, but also her mind. It would not calm. It would not cease. It only existed for its sole purpose and this purpose was to cloud her judgment as well as craft fear about her very being.

Drawing in a silent breath, she then slowly exhaled while slowly opening her eyes. She looked to the small wrinkles within her sheets and then to the shapes of her legs. From there, she looked to the small _hills_ within the sheets which were her feet. Dainty in form they were just as her hands. As she looked to her hands, a brief memory crept into her mind from when she and Surina were younger: when she placed her hand up against Surina's hand, Priya's hand had always been much smaller—it was also a way Surina bested Priya for when they both wanted the same thing. _'Put ch'our hand up then'_ she would say and since her hands were larger, Surina had always won.

"_How much longer shall I lose to such a thing before this Hell descends upon us?"_

It was a beautiful if not a damning thought it was. If she were to continue to play this game and continually lose, she would lose and thus, be a _loser_. The bright side to this fact is that she would still have Surina; her elder sister, alongside her alive and well.

Lifting her head, Priya surveyed her room once more. Due to the darkness of the early morning, she could visually see little beyond the lantern light, however; her memory of how she kept things allowed her to see just as she needed to. Sliding her legs from under the sheets of her bed, her right before her left, she simultaneously brushed her loose hair from her face as her bare feet graced the wooden floor beneath her.

"War brings forth pain and suffering and acknowledgment and death…" She moved not an inch as Girardot's words flashed through her mind. "…knowing what you fight for is what will keep you alive, but knowing if what you fight for IS the right thing to fight for is another question you'll soon face…"

"_We held a long standing peace with Dalkia."_

Priya lifted her head as she heard footsteps beneath her. By the sound, it appeared to be metal striking against the wood floor a level underneath her. Slowly rising from her bed, she made her way over to her window and as she reached it, she placed her right hand upon its frame whilst observing what lie below.

"_Why would Dalkia be so intent on waging war with their allies…?"_

Seeing a lantern slowly moving through the darkness, she was able to discern Surina's face as she lifted the lantern and set it upon the hay bale. As Surina went about her business, Priya observed her despite knowing full-well what she was doing.

"_How long will Parousia stand if we fail…?"_

She asked this not out of arrogance but in honest truth. Girardot had hailed Priya and Surina as some of his best students, and if they perished, would moral crumble amongst them or would they fight harder to avenge their deaths?

Looking from her sister and on to the distant flames, she wondered just how valuable they were. Their father, Sergio Delgado, was a foreigner to Parousia yet he trained alongside Girardot to become who he was. Parousians have never taken too kindly to those of foreign origin and if they did, it would be by a special exception. If you fight their wars and win their battles, you could easily earn a place amongst them, but that never means you were truly one of them; even if you were born within their territory.

"_A storm is approaching…yet…I find myself torn. A storm waged by man shall be only a storm which shall rain arrow and blade while beneath lie a raging sea of bloodied entrails. Is it a storm worth evading or one worth wading and enduring?"_

"_Soldiers lay their lives down for their kith, their kin, and their family…even to preserve their ways of life but…"_ Priya hesitated as her mind wandered. _"If we do face Dalkia…just what will we be doing?"_

"…_Ah, yes, if they attack us, we will be defending ourselves—thus, preserving our way of life; however, with defense, there is always a counterattack. Yet if there is a counterattack then there will be a counterattack to retaliate against a counterattack which was originally meant to be out of self-defense but without self-defense, it is considered surrender. To surrender is to pledge one's life to the victor and acknowledge that you are bested and that, you know your place…and that is beneath the victor."_

She halted in thought as she caught sight of slow moving rays of light. Dawn had come. With this known, she broke her idle thoughts and made her way towards the wall chest which lay opposite of her bed.

Upon opening this wall chest she simply stared at its contents…

It was her raiment and armor. Each piece had rested within its own location: her Greaves obviously stood upon the floor of the tall chest while her Vambraces and Gauntlets each rested on their own suspended small shelves; the Vambraces rested as one to a shelf on both sides and the Gauntlets followed this pattern as well. Her fauld and breastplate were both suspended above her Greaves while the Pauldrons rested above her Breastplate.

"_A time of peace can never last forever…"_

Using her thumbs, Priya pulled upon the straps of her gown and slowly pulled away from her body; by doing this, the gown itself easily fell to the floor. Even as she stood bare within her room, shame could not find her for worry and doubt still held her by her throat.

Reaching for her suit of mail, Priya proceeded to step from out of the small circle which her gown had made upon the floor and as her right foot touched the cold floor once more she had took hold of her suit.

"_Fretting is for the idle…is it not?"_

From this point on, she dressed. Her suit of mail offered protection for her entire body with the exceptions of her hands, head, and feet. After her suit was well placed, she took hold of her raiment: this raiment was a sleeveless dress which was that of a Brigandine make yet, opposed to a true dress, this was nothing more than a sleeveless silk shirt and Pareo woven together with leather and metal plates.

Priya now held her Breastplate within her hand and stared at it for a moment. This Breastplate was of the very same make that Girardot had worn himself. Yet for Priya, it was specially made for her petite, womanly frame. Opening it and lifting it over her head, she slowly lowered it until her head was through the neck-hole. After this was upon her, she fastened the breastplate at both sides.

"_This could very well be the last day I draw breath…"_

With this thought she stopped moving.

"…_if they prove too powerful or…'get lucky' then…"_ Standing idle for a few minutes, Priya slowly began to digest just what war truly meant. It meant that she could die and if she was not killed, she would be hauled off as a prisoner of war and if that were to happen then…

Priya shook her head to rid herself of the thought.

Looking at her Greaves, she quickly seized them and after they were both put on, she then mounted her Fauld upon her person. It was a Fauld which Surina had bought a short while ago. It was scale-esque in design, but matching in color when compared to her Breastplate.

It took a few seconds for her to mount on her Vambraces and Gauntlets yet, immediately after she did, she left. She worried not of the lantern for before she took her leave, she noticed just how dim it had gotten within her room, thus telling her that her the lantern had just run out of oil.

* * *

><p>Heading down the steps, she paid little attention to the home for which she lived. Her home was beautiful and it held a rooted appearance to their Spanish heritage. Paintings which depicted their father's home as well as distant relatives were what adorned the walls of this home. Curtains of a deep red hung proudly and even the Grandallian Insignia was placed here and there about the dwelling.<p>

Rounding the stairway, Priya made her way to the entrance of their home and once she opened the door, she squinted due to the beams of light which pierced through the darkness with the might of an arrow in flight. This deterred her none however, progressing, she did not wish to stop for anything; however:

"Una mirada adusta tan temprano en la mañana? Algo debe de tener su mente retorcida hasta el punto de ruptura."

With this said, Priya halted. Surina had been speaking to her in their father's native tongue, which she too knew, yet, she did not wish to divulge what exactly had been upon her mind.

"No se preocupe de eso, hermana. Una mente que se pierde no puede nunca ser encontrado ni recuperarse. Simplemente estoy concentrado en la tarea por delante."

Surina stood with Priya's weapon in hand. It was taken the day before to be sharpened and Surina had been awake now for roughly six hours. Despite Priya not turning to view her elder sister, she knew that Surina could read her well-enough.

"Preocuparse? No, no estoy preocupado. Afectadas por la concentración de la palabra, especialmente cuando usted está inusualmente seria tan temprano en la mañana."

"Sin embargo estoy, preocupado por usted. No necesito decir esto, pero de todas las cosas, usted es familiar. Así que voy a hacer lo que pueda por ti ... pero, si yo no sé nada, ¿cómo puedo hacer nada para apoyarte?"

As she approached her younger sister, nothing was said. Even as Surina handed Priya her weapon, Priya said nothing as she took hold of the smooth leather covered shaft.

"...Por favor, si algo te molesta, no me digas Priya..."

Surina's voice had softened considerably as she had said that to Priya. Yet, Priya said nothing. The fears of being either bested or imprisoned to be tortured or raped was enough to silence any positive words she could conceive. Despite Surina not knowing what was going on, she had a rough outline.

"I—"

"Somos mujeres ... dos de los muy pocos que están dentro de los militares solos y están a punto de sumergirse en las profundidades de una guerra que probablemente fue puesta en escena por algún partido enfermo con un propósito oscuro y objetivo."

Surina had begun to speak but was cut off. With her words, Surina turned to face her sister, yet Priya kept her back to Surina as she spoke.

"Como una mujer que lucha en la guerra de algún hombre, si estamos superado por los hombres lo que iban a hacer con nosotros? El matrimonio tiene ningún une más de un hombre cuando la tentación les recuerda que la guerra esconde muchos secretos que es lo que cubre muchas verdades y mentiras."

Priya's grip upon her _Bladed Lance_ increased as she continued to speak while Surina remained emotionless in facial expression.

"Así que para mí, simplemente, "discutir" lo que está en mi mente a sabiendas de lo que la guerra puede traer ... no es algo que se puede calmar con facilidad con las palabras ..."

After a few seconds of silence, Priya mounted Odin, and as she did, she spoke her mind once more:

"Si no tienes nada más que decir, me voy ..."

As Odin took his first few steps, Priya commanded him to halt. In this halt, she looked at her elder sister as in turn, she looked at her. Instead of words of an apology or words of tenderness, Priya said:

"...Puedes seguir si usted desea ..."

With that said, Priya was off; down the dirt road leading to their home and into the depths of Parousia. Surina on the other hand frowned and for a second, only a second, sadness was written upon her face, yet this sadness was quickly erased as she too mounted Lucifer, a stallion of a blackest dark. Despite her firm nature, Surina was practically docile in the face of her sister's ardent petition; yet, such a weakness would only be exploited by her younger sibling. However, opposed to Priya's orders, Surina had time to spare as her role as that of reinforcement; that said, she would not be at her sister's side this day until later on.

"She will be fine..." She told herself as she watched her sister ride down into the city. "...I just have to hope she stays whole..."

* * *

><p>Adjusting the reigns upon Odin, she noticed that he was not entirely himself. Odin had been dressed in mail which was strong enough to withstand arrows and even weaker swords; though she knew that Odin was far more intelligent than any mere animal. Odin knew that he now was made into a War Horse. With his mail matching that of his owner, Priya, he struck his hoof against the ground twice. Priya had taught Odin how to say yes or no and yes was understood as one hoof strike. Two represented no. Caressing the plates of mail about his neck, Priya could sympathize with him to a degree, yet, she had not a choice for this was her life path.<p>

As she entered the _Walled City_, she noticed that several things were out of order—or at least, from what she was accustomed to seeing. Normally, the markets were bustling with life as well as tens to nearly hundreds of potential buyers of whatever wares were being sold. Now, the streets were practically bare. Crossing the stalls which were set in place by their owners, she saw few products and few people. Despite the ones bountiful stream of people, this was only a strangled river afeared of the draught which was to come. Of course, she also had to keep in mind that it was relatively early in the morning.

As she and Odin progress, they passed scraps of corn, pieces of fruit which had been smashed by one's weight as they trampled upon it and other forms of sustenance. All of which were most likely dropped in a hastened attempt to retreat indoors of perhaps retreat from Parousia altogether.

With each step Odin took, it echoed throughout the area as if no one had lived here. Surveying the dwellings, Priya was able to make out several eyes leering at her from not just one, or six, but nearly each dwelling she and Odin had passed, there had been at least two to three people watching her. Yet for all the silence, it was a bit welcomed as she could see that she was not the only one whom was afraid of the coming struggle—the horrors of war.

"_They too fear the coming storm…"_

With this thought known to her, she was able to calm herself but only slightly. What awaited her was more than likely enough to set her nerves afire. Her destination was Central Command and with the sun's rays slowly ascending into the sky, she thought it best to have an advantage of being up early, however, she was bested in arriving first. As she neared her destination, she caught sight of a man clad in armor of a silver shade and next to him was yet another man, he too was clad in armor but his was of the darkest black she had ever seen.

"…_who are they…"_

Coming closer upon her destination, she then saw a woman. She was shorter than both men which is why Priya could not see her at first, yet as she neared them, it appeared that with this group before her, the woman led them. It was also this same woman whom seemed to notice Priya long before she had even crossed the markets.

Dismounting Odin, Priya took holds of her weapon and firmly attached it to the lock upon the back of her breastplate. This was a customary touch which was added by a man which Girardot knew well. This man had oft sold his wares to the Parousian and Dalkian Armies in the past but now, she knew not where the man's loyalty lay.

Turning and progressing towards the entrance of the Central Command, Priya listened to the words which were exchanged between the woman and the two men:

"…our tact will see us through this storm. Point. Blank. Simple."

"Tact or not, we NEED to be on the front lines driving the lot of them back to Hell!"

"Back to Hell?" The man in silver questioned. "Why give them the compliment of coming from Hell?"

The man in silver and the man in black were arguing it seemed.

"Ha! I give no compliment, stating that is self-same to giving dagger to a cutthroat to kill your wife. Which might I add, she knows much of her mouth as of late—mayhap you've been replaced?"

Without a word, the man in silver eyed he who donned black armor. Yet before anything else could be said, the woman interjected.

"Enough…our tasks are simple and we need not dilute our efforts with childish banter…"

With her left hand, Priya pushed open the wooden door and entered. Before her lay a fine wooden floor with a dull reflection—dull from years of improper cleaning no doubt. Documents lay sparsely scattered about this same floor which was out of the norm for such a place. However, she thought this place to be silent if not a slowly awakening quarter—how wrong she was. Parchment was being tossed aside while people were screaming at each other for various reasons. Women at the desks seemed to be panicking as their superiors barked orders at them for whatever reason. One woman was crying due to having three of her superiors screaming in her face at once.

With her eyes agape, she tried to slowly shut the door behind her yet as she tried, it practically slammed shut—which seemed to get everyone's attention. In the midst of the newfound silence, Priya observed every face as they each stared at her. With the rustling of parchment upon the floor and one woman's hastened sniveling, Priya said not a word as she quietly made her way to the west side of the building via a corridor. Being careful not to step on any document, she continued on.

With each step, she could feel her heartbeat within her breast as if were attempting to claw out her breast itself.

"_Despite the years of knowing him…I-I still bear this pause in self…"_

Rounding the corner and proceeding north down another corridor; she could very see the next room ahead of her. Yet, with all the nervousness which seemed to exude from her very flesh, she continued on. The floor was still wooden, yet this corridor held a deep red carpet which led to the room ahead of her. The walls were of stone and mortar. Draped across them were flags which held the design of a Black Dragon over a reddened background. This insignia is what represented Parousia and one she has come to know well enough over the years.

Closing in on the office ahead of her, she was taken aback by the sounds of footsteps ahead of her. Slowing her pace, she saw a person step before her yet she did not expect it to be her.

"Hail." Immediately as she spoke, she recognized who it was without any form of doubt, yet before she could shift her position, she waved off Priya's position of attention which immediately told her to relax.

It was none other than General Riga; the very same woman who has a love for art as well as a talent for procuring items oft neglected throughout the ages or even rumored to be extinct. Not to mention one who loves wine as well as swills it with ease just as a drunkard would his ale and rum. To judge her current facial expression, it seemed that whatever was being discussed bore a heavy onus for she has never found a truly serious expression upon her until this day. Yet, amidst the situation, E'laura easily smiled and greeted Priya once more:

"How do you fare Commander Delgado?"

Despite being young in years, she has earned her station through honesty, valor, and dedication to her country. Moreover, E'laura has fought side-by-side with Girardot when Grandall allied itself with Dalkia in the means of combat. However, it was not a publicly known thing. Parousia wanted not in conflict yet, Strife would not allow his ally, the former King of Dalkia, to enter combat alone; so in light of this, Parousian soldiers were sent under the guise as Dalkian soldiers to aid their ally.

Many a bond were forged through this effort as well as many a child was born to the lovers which this met their mate upon the field during this secret union. From peasant to soldier, the effect was vast and the bonds of amnesty as well as trust slowly built higher with Parousia and Dalkia as allies—so much that trade and commerce were oft common between the two…yet now…all seems to be in vain.

At word of her name, Priya heard a chair grind against the wooden floor, signifying that whoever was still within the room was preparing to leave as well.

"'Tis well thus far Gener—"

"Ah, be not as formal…I just told you that…" E'laura interjected as she waved her left hand about for the second time. "…E'laura will suffice. Though, I fear you've not the luxury to dawdle as I lack that same luxury myself…"

With a look of utter disappointment, E'laura sighed whilst simultaneously moving from the doorway over to the wall opposite of Priya.

E'laura held a certain fashion about her. Opposed to her hair loosely hung as their first meeting, it was tied into a bun. She wore a long coat which bore two tails; this long coat was also riveted with scale mail. Her Greaves and Cuisses were dark in color yet held an engraving of a rose upon each outer thigh. The greaves themselves lacked a pointed heel and functioned as well as resembled an actual boot—this was a slight shock to Priya. E'laura's arms however, were unprotected. Nothing but the sleeves of her long coat covered her arms as far as she was able to discern. Yet, what stood out the most to Priya is that E'laura wore no cosmetics. It was almost as if to say there was a God by how oft she had known as well as heard of E'laura and her facial works.

"What brings a problem you might ask…well, D—"

"Commander Priya!" With the sudden booming of his voice, she jumped, as did E'laura. With Priya being summoned, E'laura made a head gesture for her to enter, and so she did. Crossing the doorway and stepping into the small room, she noticed a Lance which was mounted along the wall near a long desk. This desk in general had what Priya assumed to be reports—she assumed this due to the seal upon those same reports which was unmistakable to her eye. Behind the desk was not only a bookcase filled with history of weaponry, war, and combats tactics but also…

"In truth, I thought to be visited by Surina afore you, yet, my message is just the same…" His hands were interlaced behind his back and as he spoke those words. It took not much to realize just who had summoned her just now for as he turned around, it was obviously General Girardot who stood before her and in between the bookcase and the long desk. His breastplate was the same as hers, just a deep shade silver while hers was that of a pure white snow. Most of his armor was of that color with accents of red and gold here and there. "Priya, you are to rendezvous with the rest of your unit whom have already been dispatched to the Eastern Gate and await your arrival. Beyond that, you are to shadow the unit _Poseidon_, whom is under the command of a man named Heinrich…"

Girardot hesitated in speech as E'laura re-entered the room.

"As such, both _Gungnir_ and _Poseidon_ shall take point in defending the Eastern Gate…as for anything beyond that; Commander Annebella of _Relic_ and other squadrons have already taken roost beyond the gate so we are well protected with numbers and ballistae—that I can assure you. Yet, beyond that, if you've any inquiries, you are to take make them known to Commander Annebella. As for now, I've no further orders for you…thus you are dismissed Commander Delgado."

It was with a smile that he addressed Priya by her rank as well as her surname. She could understand why as she was one of the daughters of a dear friend of his which passed away twelve years ago. With his warm smile, it was enough to ease her doubts back to what they were just after she had awakened a few hours ago.

"…_h-he has faith in me…?"_

Turning upon her heel, Priya slowly made her way pass E'laura, whom could see the disquiet upon her very face. Though, she said not a word, Priya knew E'laura would address the issue, but this was not the time nor place.

"…which also reminds me, E'laura…" At the call of her name, she twisted upon her heel and came to a still. "…upon Commander Surina Delgado's arrival, do notify me as I've a matter to discuss with you both."

Priya heard this as she entered the corridor once more. Like as not, Surina would be here momentarily for she was making the last of her preparations when Priya took her leave. As she continued to walk upon the red carpet, she blankly looked to the wall to her right. This wall was adorned with Parousian flags.

"_Father once walked this corridor and with him, he carried the hopes of not only us, but the hopes of Parousia itself. He was afeared at times as well…for to battle without fear or acknowledgment of possible defeat or death, would then cast away one's bonds of humanity. Not just as one's self, but as one's whole unit."_

Her mind was astir with thoughts such as these. A combination of her father's very words and her own recollections and deciphering of those words they were.

"_If I am to lead Gungnir effectively, I-I am to know my boundaries as well as the boundaries of each member of Gungnir outright—"_

As she prepared to round the corner back to reception, Priya was thrown off balance by what she thought was the very ground itself and as a result, she had fallen face first to the ground. As she opened her green eyes, all was but a blur. Soldiers were running in every which direction yet at the same time they were also shouting and screaming. Their voices she could not hear for a high pitched ring dulled her senses to nothing more than sight and touch. Closing her eyes and slowly opening them, she was now able to see more:

"…_f-fire…?"_

Before her, where Central Command was once covered by a roof, had been torn asunder and the doorway which she had used to enter was now reduced to a smoldering pit of oil and flame. Beginning to attempt to painfully push herself upwards with her arms, she made small progress before she fell back down to the heated floor. Muscle failure this was; due to the shock of the impact, her body needed time to recover—time she did not have.

As she blinked, she could see orange flames around her. They faded time and again only to re-spark their own being within her vision. Darkness and light; the constant shift between the two had left her partially blinded. However, despite this blindness...

She tried again.

This time, she pulled her body across the floor using only her hands and arms. A tactical thing really; this _low crawl_ as it had come to be called could evade detection while moving but in this case, she pulled her body in hopes of pulling it into a ball so that she could come up to her knees.

"On your feet…"

Barely able to detect the one whom had aided her, she incoherently gave a response while her arm was draped across the person's shoulders. All she could here were murmurs and whispers. The red flames danced about the bodies of those whom were once yelling, and screaming—sucking the very life from their bodies. All the while, these same flames licked at her heels while she was forcibly pulled to Hell knows where.

"THEY'RE OPENING FIRE ON THE CITY!"

Priya could barely tell what was being said, yet the constant of erupting blasts and explosions were enough to tell her what was happening. Her eyes were wide as she acknowledged the sound. Loud they were, echoing across everything in an attempt to drown the world in its singular purpose. Instinct had driven her at this point. She thought not of what she had been doing though she could see what was doing and what was going on around her.

Some civilians immediately rushed into their dwellings, quickly shuttering their wharfs, covering their windows and even going as far as to set up barricades inside of their homes in case the unimaginable had happened. Others, they flooded the streets; running in any and every direction.

Belongings were dropped or simply thrown so that their original owner could save their own life. Vegetables, freshly threshed wheat, fruit, and even gold had littered the ground which she and Odin had crossed only moments earlier.

Progressing through the fleeing citizens, she kept her grip upon the Commander. It was almost as if her will, an inhumane strength, had possessed her. Priya blinked. Not once, but several times in succession—truly grasping what had been happening and once this realization set in, she began to slow her pace and in turn, bring Dawn to a slow as well.

"Hell's your problem?! Keep moving!"

Her voice was loud enough to temporarily drown out the screams of civilians and even that of the flames around them. Before long, Priya was propped up against a ruined dwelling. Charred and burning masonry blocked the alley which gave them only one entrance as well as one exit.

"Priya, Priya!"

The voice was now in her face and shouting directly at her. As she looked to the person before her, all she could see was a black mass overlapping a gleaming blot of silver and white. Her head rolled yet the woman held her head upright.

"…forgive me but…" Without a second's delay, Priya was backhanded with enough force to send her to the ground, yet Dawn was able to keep her from doing so by seizing her arm and pulling her back up against the wall. "FOCUS!" She now screamed.

Shaking her head, Priya blinked and once she did, her vision slowly cleared. The woman, she could see clearly now. A hood of the blackest dark had been about her head and she wore a _Face Guard, a_ _Gorget, _and _Breastplate _hybrid; these pieces of armor were usually two separate pieces. The Gorget protected her neck and her spine most like while the Breastplate shielded her entire torso. The Face Guard conceal the lower half of her face to where Priya could not make out anything beyond her eyes and half the bridge of her nose.

It was no surprise when Priya pushed Dawn away from her and to follow this, Priya placed a hand to her right throbbing cheek.

"I had no choice," The woman began as she placed a hand upon her hilt. "…you were barely responsive, so hold that not in ill-thought." Priya's gaze was that of a beast; however, that gaze simmered and the dour expression concealed itself amongst one of worry. Looking to the engraved insignia upon her left breast, she knew of it to be Parousian, however; she had never bore witness to this insignia afore this day.

"W-what of G—"

"I'll stay within the area. You…" She now pointed at Priya. "Need to get to the Eastern Gate!" With that said she had recalled what Girardot had told her.

"…_**You are to rendezvous with the rest of your unit whom have already been dispatched to the Eastern Gate…"**_

It took not a second more for her to leer from the alley to survey her surroundings. From where she had been, it was a straight shot to the gate, however…

"…t-they're breeching the Gate!"

Grabbing Delgado by her shoulder armor, Dawn pushed Priya down the direction she needed to go while she parted and headed in the opposite direction.

"Your unit needs you, or are you going to let them die?!"

With those last words before her departure, Priya did not think. She simply ran. Her small body was incapable of taking larger steps, yet she was still fleet of foot. Leaping over burning debris, the young commander would not allow anyone of her unit to die and if they were to meet such a fate, she would be long dead.

Continuing down the street she paid not much attention to anything else until she noticed that a shadow had overtaken the immediate area around her. Skidding to a halt, she looked around and then looked skyward. Her eyes were agape as she stared down a ball of flame which had now begun to turn the shadow around her into a reddish-orange circle. In a panic, she looked to her right but saw nothing, yet to her left, she saw a small cubby she could hide herself away and upon seeing it, she bolted for it.

Firmly placing her back to the pillar and squatting down, the imminent impact was enough to send her from behind the pillar and into the dwelling wall in front of her. The blast itself was as loud as it was deep. A bellowing it had sounded like. Pushing herself away from the dwelling, she shook her head and ignored the small pieces of masonry which had been blown asunder and clattered against her armor while straw had been blown about the area.

Placing a hand against the pillar, she looked and could not help but allow her mouth to fall open. The homes which were once behind her were reduced to nothing but a raging inferno. She heard no screams. No pleas, no prayers; only collapsing stone and the roar of the fires themselves.

Pushing herself off the pulling to propel her run, she leapt over more debris and continued down a short ways before she reached the gate yet as she reached it, it had just been shut. Her breathing was labored and when she came to a halt, she hunched herself over to catch her breath. She was mentally capable of what was occurring around her, however, her body had yet to fully recover from its near death experience while within Central.

"Tch…" Her left shoulder was lightly tugged on. Feeling this, she looked up to see Raisa whom was right beside her. "…you showed up." Priya was offended. Pulling away from the Russian, Priya simultaneously sneered at her, however, Raisa merely furrowed a brow. "Last we heard, you were at Central when Dalkia first attacked…"

Her tone was unchanging and she sounded partly bored, if not indifferent. Standing fully erect, she inhaled deeply before exhaling. Surveying the area, she saw few Parousian soldiers amongst them corpses yet most of them were in golden armor. A deep red is what marked a soldier as Parousian and the city's emblem at that; yet this golden armor was that of Dalkia.

Judging by the wounds of the Dalkian soldiers, they had engaged other forces here, yet, most of them held ghastly injuries. Severed arms, hands, legs, feet, and a few whom were simply decapitated; all which held similar wounds aside from a select few which were shot in the head. The exit wounds were fairly obvious. Yet, aside from the wounds of a firearm, these wounds came from a curved blade and as she looked to Raisa, she could see that she was partly covered in blood.

Not only that, but most of the area, including parts of the gates themselves were colored a deep reddish purple.

Before Priya could ask anything of Raisa, a man called out to her.

"I-is that Surina? S-Surina Delgado?"

Looking upward, the two of them spotted a Parousian soldier whom had been pointing at Priya.

"Delgado, yes bu—"

"Yes, reinforcements have arrived!"

The man began to cheer. Priya looked on to Raisa while Raisa simply lowered her head and shook it.

"I feel you've me mistaken fo—"

His cheers were loud, and that said, he cut Priya off, whom then looked to the ground before clearing her throat. Yet, as he continued to cheer, he suddenly stopped. Raisa's head snapped upright while Priya stared at the ground in horror. As Priya was preparing to speak, a substance, wet and thick had slapped her face while pattering against her armor. Before she raised her head, Raisa pulled her out of the way and as she was pulled to the side, the corpse of the man whom was just cheering so merrily slammed against the stone street. His armor made a loud clanging sound while his arm loudly snapped under the weight of his body as his corpse struck the ground.

"…"

Raisa said not a word as she looked to the flowing pool of blood which oozed from the man. Spotting an arrow which was lodged into his skull, Raisa pointed to the corpse before saying:

"That came from a longbow." After Raisa had pointed that out, she heard gunfire from beyond the gate. For it to be that clear meant it was close. Yet she paid it little attention.

"…DONOVAN!"

Looking up once more, Priya said nothing as another soldier was down upon his knees. He was leaning over the stone with his arm extended, perhaps calling out to his fallen friend.

At that point, Priya called at to him.

"…Open the gate."

"W-what…?!"

"That's an order private, open the _damn_ gate!"

Slowly nodding whilst whimpering, the man temporarily vanished from sight.

"You sure you are ready for this?"

By the sound of a clicking mechanism, the large doors slowly began to open. As they opened, dust fell from them as if they had yet to be opened for thousands of years. As the gates creaked open, thick black smoke from the field just beyond them seeped through the cracks and slowly entered the city. Priya and Raisa were unfazed by the new atrocious scent.

What they had smelled was the concoction of blood, steel, wood violated by flame, and death.

However, seeing that she had yet received a response, Raisa looked to her commanding officer whom sat atop her noble steed in silence. Raisa could see it plain as day.

"_Bloodlust…"_

It was clearly written upon her commander's face just as Donovan's blood was still fresh upon that very same face of hers. With her weapon at her back, Priya blinked when the doors slammed against the walls of the city.

Now the two of them were facing the steel gate before them. Priya tightened her grip upon the reigns as she looked to the portcullis as it began to shake. Dust had fallen from it as the soldier atop the lookout operated the mechanism to the Eastern Gate.

As the way before them, paved in blood, darkened by death, opened to them, Priya took a step forth before coming to a halt. Amongst the chaos ahead of her, she heard hooves. It was not dirt they were striking but stone. Looking to her right, she saw a shimmering of silver and with that silver brought her faithful companion; Odin.

Coming to a trot and eventually stopping, the stallion reared at the sight of Priya. Raising her leg and placing her foot within a holster, she mounted Odin and with the reigns, she ordered Odin to proceed to the gate. Shrugging a shoulder, Raisa proceeded along with her.

"We should secure Meiga and Ky first."

At words of this, Priya brought Odin to a halt.

"Where are they…?"

Her voice sounded empty, almost as if it were depraved of all emotion. This bothered Raisa none, yet, she noticed it immediately.

"Ky is to the tower to the northeast. Meiga should be with him. Though, _Posiedon_ chose to press onward to the southeast."

"You didn't go with them?" Priya looked down to Raisa as she asked this question.

"Last I recall right, Riga's word overrides theirs."

She was absolutely correct. Just as Girardot had informed Priya that her unit would be waiting for her, it was likely that he passed word to E'laura whom then ordered this and carried it down Raisa.

"Then why are they out there?"

"…ask _Posiedon_."

The commander sneered as she snapped her reigns. Trotting to the gate and slowly passing through it just after Raisa. As she passed through the gate, Priya looked to what lay beyond the paths before them. She could see smoke and flame. The wind was low and gently blew fresh dirt and dust about the ground which made it seem a flowing river of dirt. Outside of this gate, the heat had risen. It was hot and in addition to that, it felt muggy. All in all, this was due to the battle here and the weaponry which was used.

Raisa on the other hand had been to Priya's left and as she passed through the gate the sound of steel grating against stone caught not only her ears, but also those of her commander. Taking a wary step to her right, away from the sound; she kept one hand hovering above the tsuka of her blade. Slowly inching further towards the descending portcullis, she caught sight of a Parousian soldier whom had collapsed to the bloodied ground beneath him. Apparently, he was the one whom had retreated back to the gates and gave word to signal for reinforcements.

His hand slowly moved and as it did, Raisa watched him, for she recalled the _Border Incident_ and how outside factions used Parousian mail in order to kick start this war. Lifting his hand, he eventually looked to Raisa whom was joined by her Commanding Officer. Catching sight of the soldier, she wanted to lend her aid but seeing the darkening earth beneath his downed body told her that there was no chance at saving him—even if he had been taken back into the city.

"T—they're…inhuman…"

With those words alone, the soldier's hand fell to the dirt ground forcing a cloud of dirt to rise due to the impact. As he lie in silence and ceased to move, Raisa took him for dead and thought nothing more on the matter while Priya retained a serious expression in order to cover her worry and fear.

Narrowing her eyes, Raisa, turned her attention to the billowing smoke which lay to the east of the city gates. Nothing was said and in the midst of this silence, screams, shouts, curses as well as steel clashing against steel and distant explosions.

Coming to her front had been her Commanding Officer. Still atop her stallion, she called to Raisa who in turn acknowledge her by looking at her via her peripheral and then looking back to what lay before them.

"We must push onward…"

Raisa said nothing. She continued to stare off into the distance as if she were entranced with a dancer of flame. As she stared, her head slightly lowered and when it did, an explosion rang out from the distance as well as screams of pure agony. With the exception of Raisa, Odin and Priya both jumped at the shrill screams.

"…Raisa…"

"…they are in possession of a cannon still."

Priya's eyes widened as Raisa told her that bit of information upon being called.

"H—how—"

"Listen to the impact. It is not a simple explosion. Even there, you can see the truth yourself." Pointing in the direction with the tsuka of her blade, Priya turned her head to her left and observed the area.

The earth was scarred with destruction. The ridges which lay to the north and south were both in possession of gaping holes which regurgitated thick, black smoke. That smoke alone was enough to darken the looming sun overhead.

"By the smoke, I believe the ammunition was wrapped in tarp and then drenched in other forms of fluids…"

It was a common thing to find at sea, but on land, it was not as common; at least, not as common to Priya. She knew that such a tactic had existed for years but to be used in a war was an entirely different thing to her.

Taking a step forward, Raisa looked to the south and then the north before taking a knee. As this was done, she then placed her finger to the dirt and began to create something.

"That is…?"

"A map of the current area. I took the liberty of drawing this out the last time we were here. Though, at that time, I actually slept." She was lying. This map was the very same one which Riese had given her, however, Raisa did not feel that Priya needed to know that information.

"…you've not slept?"

Without looking in her direction, the second highest ranking individual of _Gungnir_ addressed her commander.

"How can I sleep knowing that I would be deployed to the front lines as one of the first waves of many before the enemy? Or rather, how can I sleep knowing that I could die the next day in battle?" Again, she lied. She had taken Riese's answer and molded it into her own.

Priya said nothing. All she could do was stare down at the map which Raisa had drawn herself. It was rather detailed. The outposts were labeled and even the current situation before them was added to her original drawing of the immediate area.

"Judging from the damage from the cannon, we will need to go here…" Raisa slowly slid her finger along the map as she continued to explain. "…following the path to the north and then proceeding northeast, we could possibly flank the operator where either I or Ky, if he is alive, can take shot and remove the threat."

Priya studied the map as that was said. What Raisa had suggested had guided them away from obvious sight of the cannon, however, Priya questioned Raisa:

"How else can they see us?"

"I've seen their aim…" Raisa cocked her head as she looked at Priya. "…not much has gone in the direction along this path." She now pointed to the northeast. "If we press on, we can get to the tower which they were directed to by _Poseidon's_ commander."

Priya listened as she also watched Raisa as she pointed to the map and occasionally towards the land around them. She had been observing Raisa and for the short amount of time she had done such, she had noted several things:

Raisa was independent, fiercely independent at that; oft going against orders to do what she believes is best for her or in this case, everyone. If she had not stayed behind, Priya would not know as much as she did now.

Priya also noted that underneath her clothing, was some sort of armor. Priya knew not what kind, but it was obvious that Raisa's entire upper body—save her face and hands—had been covered in armor. The same went for her legs—save her feet—which cause a deal of thought to flood the young commander.

"_Has she crafted her own raiment along with her own armor?"_

As this thought flashed through Priya's mind, Raisa stood and placed the map along with other essentials in a caché case.

"We must move forward."

After that was said, Raisa advanced towards the lone tower before them, with Priya right at her side.

Walking beside her Commanding Officer and Odin, Raisa looked to the ridges which outlined the battlefield before them. She saw not threat from the left, yet when she looked to her right, she saw what appeared to be a Parousian Flag. Priya too, had noticed this and just as Girardot had informed her hours ago, she passed along to Raisa.

"Relic was sent as the initial force to patrol the area along with twelve additional units."

Raisa took it that Annebella had still been alive. That strengthened _Gungnir's_ chances for survival even more and as she looked at it, there was only so much that she alone could do. If they were separated, then she honestly could not vouch for anyone else other than herself surviving. Then again, she thought not much of her allies' strengths and strategies as she should have. That would make them all the more powerful if they sparred together in order to overcome their weaknesses; but this was not the time for that.

As the two advanced, they both saw the looming Stronghold before them. Raisa knew well enough that if Dalkian Soldiers had made it into the Walled City itself, that this stronghold was already taken. Priya knew it as well; however, she had hoped that they simply passed it by due to being so close to the _Eastern Gate_.

A short few minutes had passed until they were in the shadow of the Parousian Stronghold; however, Raisa noticed that the bindings to the Stronghold were broken. This told her that her earlier thoughts had been proven correct. Seeing this, she raised her free arm and then balled her hand into a fist, signaling for Priya to wait. As the commander dismounted, she drew Odin closer while Raisa spoke softly:

"I'll enter first, as I can maneuver far easier than you while on the venison." Odin looked at Raisa with what she thought to be worry. Further proving this thought was when Odin slowly backed away from her and beginning to panic, which forced Priya to calm him.

"Watch yourself…" In response to Priya's words, Raisa nodded only once.

Placing her hand upon the gated door of the stronghold, Raisa effortlessly drew her blade, _Sapphire_ and slashed through the outer lock. To follow this, Raisa then kicked the gated door in and began to advance. As she vanished from Priya's sight, Raisa looked to her immediate surroundings to see if there had been anything which stood out.

From what she could see, there was nothing. The Stronghold was dark with slivers of sunlight entering and with those same slivers of sunlight she was able to make out a small table and a few wooden chairs. One stood next to the table while the other was knocked to the ground. Closing the distance to the downed chair, Raisa searched about whilst keeping her hand hovering above the tsuka. As she searched around, her eyes had slowly begun to conform to the darkness of the Stronghold and with this conformity; Raisa noticed an odd discoloration upon the dirt ground.

"…_what is this…"_ Kneeling down, she ran her free hand through the substance only to realize it to be blood. In that instance, Raisa leapt backwards and then swayed underneath a streak of silver. Watching the sun reflect off the blade, Raisa parried the blade with her sheath and stepped to her attacker's side whilst rotating her sheath. By doing so, her tsuka was aimed towards the dirt in a diagonal fashion. Capatalizing on this, she drew her blade with her left hand and took a step inward as her enemy tried to make distance between them.

With this step, she added force to her attack and with that added force she sliced through her attacker's breastplate and even into their belly.

"Gaaaurrhh…!"

She had only known her attacker was a man due to his pained cry, yet as he fell to the ground, scraping at it with his hands, she sheathed her blade as the man gasped for air. Yet, she then looked from him to an oncoming threat.

Partially drawing her blade, Raisa smirked as she watched a pallor blonde charge her. In her hands had been a lance; thick, sturdy, but also cumbersome. It was a large weapon which only those who have trained with such a weapon for years or simply those with impressive upper body strength could wield effectively. As she watched her posture, Raisa saw lapses within her approach—not only that, but she had nearly fallen twice.

"_It is too heavy for her…"_

This was true. As she drew closer, Raisa could see her posture all the more clearly. She was practically hunched over and it also appeared that her grip was rather weak while carrying the weapon. Yet, while in wait, _Sapphire_ was now halfway outside of its respective sheath, Raisa had chosen a different tactic and sheathed her weapon completely just as the Dalkian drew within killing range.

Swaying underneath the Dalkian's horizontal swipe, Raisa gripped the tsuka of her weapon and as the Dalkian herself was left open, due to her wild attack, Raisa brought her blade into a skyward in a swift and violent arc. Blood kissed her ever so sweetly as it did warmly and ever so softly as she closed her eyes against such a warm and familiar show of affection.

"NOOO! MEREDITH!"

Hearing this, this told Raisa that at least two more soldiers were occupying the Grandallian stronghold. Yet for all the danger, for all the voices of the other Dalkian's hopeless cries, their swearing revenge, and even amongst the sound of pattering of blood; still falling to the ground as well as upon her, they were all muffled out as she took in the first seconds of being able to kill and not be arrested for committing murder. Opening her green eyes, a sadistic smirk lovingly licked her lips as her next victims began to approach her.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter <strong>**IX**** End**

_End Notes:_

_Ky's pistol was improved upon despite the fact that he did not want it to be remodeled. This is due to the fact that this pistol was the joint effort of him, his mother, and his father. It also bears the name of Kusanagi and Kisaragi (his father and mother respectively) upon the grip._

_Dalkia launched its First Offensive on October the 1__st__, 1505._

**_Additional Languages Used: _**

**Spanish & Russian**

***Note: If my translations are wrong or the original text is wrong, feel free to correct me***

**Translations (in order of speaker and when spoken):**

**Priya**: Worry not of it, sister. A mind which is lost cannot ever be found nor recover. I am merely focused on the task ahead.

**Surina**: Worry? No, I'm not worried. Concerned is more the word; especially when you are uncharacteristically serious so early in the morn.

**Surina**: I am however, concerned for you. I need not say this but of all things, you are family. So I will do what I can for you...but, if I know nothing, how can I do anything to support you?

**Surina**: ...Please, if something is bothering you, do tell me Priya.

**Priya**: We are women... two of the very few which are within the military alone and are about to be plunged into the depths a war that was likely staged by some ill party with an obscure purpose and goal.

**Priya**: As a woman fighting in some man's war, if we are bested by men what would they do with us? Marriage holds no binds over a man when temptation reminds them that war hides many a secret as does it cover many truths and lies.

**Priya**: So for me to simply "discuss" what is on my mind while knowing what war can bring...it's not something you can easily quell with words...

**Priya**: If you've nothing else to say, I am off…

**Priya**: You can follow if you wish…

**Raisa:** Pure bullshit…

**Vocab**

**Jig: **_A rapid, lively, or irregular dance which involves one or more person._

**Portcullis: **_Strong iron grating. It is usually composed of iron and made to slide along vertical grooves at the sides of gateways of any heavily fortified area and is able to be closed to prevent passage._

**Cartographer: **_A cartographer is on whom specializes in drawing maps, drafting, design, projections, and construction._

**Pelmeni (ear bread): **_Russian cuisine which consists of meat wrapped in dumplings. The filling is oft pork, lamb, beef, fish, or mushrooms. This is also rumored to have been a simplified version of the Chinese __Jiaozi._

**Flagon: **_A large wooden, metal, or ceramic pitcher (in this case of it being used "pitcher") which is used for drinking. whether it be water or ale or something else of the like._

_**Historical Notes**_

_**Wōdāo**__**: **is a Chinese sword of the Mind Dynasty which was as long as it is heavy; bearing a curved back and a sharp blade. As Ky had noticed, Despite its Damascus base, it heavily resembled his own sword—a Tachi—he also recalled a Odachi's design and noted its similarities as well._

**_Shéng Biāo_**_**: **A Shéng Biāo is one of the flexible weapons in Chinese Martial Arts. This weapon (current use) is 10 meters long and is also made of Damascus Steel. Instead of rope, this weapon is made of steel in the shape of a thin but strong chain. This weapon holds a steel dart at the end and is used to catch opponents at a distance as well as ensnare foes as well as disarm them. Raisa is capable of using this weapon to twine, bind, circle, strike, pierce, as well as strangle. What makes this weapon even more deadly is that after years of training, she can use nearly any joint of her body to propel this weapon towards a target, whether it be her elbows, feet, or even her neck._

_**Limoux: **is a Livy traded non-sparkling white wine from Limoux which dates back to Roman occupation of the region. Blanquette (the small white) de Limoux is considered to be the first white wine to be produced in France. This wine first appeared in 1531 in writ by Benedictine Monks from the abbey of Saint-Hilaire._

_These monks detail cork-stoppered flasks and conveniently, the region is north of the Cork Oak Forest of Cataluña (Spanish) (also known as Catalunya (Catalan) or Catalonia.) This gave producers a much greater ease when it came to secondary fermentation in the flask. This of course produces the bubbles needed for sparkling wine._

_**Twelve Apostles: **Referred to by many names but it is not as widely popular in history at this point. Mostly, balls and powder flasks were most common. (Raisa utilizes this method)_

_Raisa has memorized the amount of powder she needs while wanting Ky to avoid having to deal with that trouble, she insisted on him using a different method. _

_The measuring stage for the barrel charge of gunpowder could be avoided by carrying a number of pre-measured charges in small containers of wood, metal, or even cloth. These containers were often carried on a __bandoleer and were known by various names, including "chargers", "charges", or even the religious "apostles" due to twelve normally being carried._


End file.
